


Gold and Gods

by fatlittletoade



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: El Dorado! AU, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Violence, More characters to be added later, Same with tags, Slow Burn, just stick with me here guys, they'll update as the fic goes lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:34:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatlittletoade/pseuds/fatlittletoade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Junkrat is a poor boy who got swindled into believing a fake map would lead him to the fabled city of gold. Too bad it's not real. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Golden Ticket

Jamie shuffled off down the street, the evening sun setting in the west and casting the world into shades of bright reds and purples. He hated the days when he needed to beg and had avoided doing it for three days, but there just got to be a point when his throat was too dry and the pains in his stomach grew to be too much and he had to cave in and get money somehow. And that somehow usually led to Jamie sitting next to the nearest bar, cup in hand and waving it in front of people as they passed by.

A few of them would drop a coin or two, nothing worth a damn thing even when it was all put together. Just some spare change they decided to give to him because they could no longer tolerate the jingling in their pockets. Mostly everyone liked to avoid any kind of eye contact, like if they pretended they couldn’t see him then he would just disappear from their perfect little world where everything was clean and shiny and smelled like fucking daisies. He was a smear on the otherwise pristine world everyone else seemed to live. But Jamie knew they could see him. They could see his greasy blond hair, his sleazy grin, the dirt ingrained into his skin and underneath his fingernails, they could smell the repulsive stench of sweat and garbage that he called his home and they resented Jamie for it like it was all his own fault.

Maybe it was his fault, maybe he was destined to live a life of squalor and die alone in some alley for the rats to pick out his eyeballs.

As Jamie walked he looked down at his little tin cup (it was actually a can he found discarded in the gutter but it held things and sometimes when it rained he would drink from it, so it might as well have been a cup) to inspect his earnings for the day. Shaking out the contents into his palm he found three coppers, a silver, and… was that a tooth?

“What the literal fuck?” Jamie exclaimed to himself, something he did occasionally.

Okay, a lot.

But when did someone drop a tooth into his cup? Why the hell didn’t he notice, it wasn’t like coins were raining down upon him so much that he didn’t notice a freaking  _ tooth  _ slip in among the rest of them. There were four coins!

“Fuckin’ fuckers!” Jamie snapped, throwing his cup down against the ground as hard as he could and glaring at it as it bounced down the cobblestone road.

It didn’t do anything to make him feel better.

Cursing under his breath Jamie trudged forward to retrieve his now dented can ( _ cup _ ) from where it rolled away. But just as Jamie reached a hand down to retrieve his abused belonging a small reflection of light caught his eye.

Jamie turned his head towards the glint of light, something shining underneath a pile of dirty leaves and gutter water. Jamie didn’t even hesitate to reach in for it.

Calloused fingers scraped along the stone until they came into contact with something smooth and solid. Jamie’s thumb ran slow circles across it, trying to determine what that mysterious item could possibly be. A bullet? Maybe a metal button, or possibly a belt buckle.

_ Or you could pull it out from the garbage and see for yourself, idiot. _

Oh, right. That would work too. Not as fun and mysterious though.

Jamie pulled the object out from the filth and held it far away from himself as he flicked his wrist to get off any remaining dirt or water. When it was suitably clean Jamie slid it into his palm and held it close to his face for proper inspection.

What he didn’t expect to see was the gold-rendered profile of the queen staring right back at him.

The shock of it was enough to make Jamie scream and drop the coin like he had picked up something hot. But watching the gold flash against the light quickly brought Jamie back to his senses, or as back as he was ever going to get, and the blond dove to the ground to snatch the coin before it had the chance to roll away from him. 

“Hooley dooley,” Jamie breathed as he gripped the coin in his hand tight enough to leave the pictures on it imprinted into his skin. 

This was incredible! Jamie had only ever seen gold coins from small market exchanges, never before had he ever held one in his own hand! Laughter bubbled up from deep inside Jamie and he jumped to his feet, dancing around in circles and jumping for good measure as uncontrollable excitement coursed through his body. Passers by didn’t even blink; just a mad beggar having a fit.

When Jamie finally calmed down enough his mind was racing with the possibilities on what to buy. Sure, food and water were the obvious choices but that would be boring! Perhaps he would get some new clothes, his shorts were beginning to look more like tattered rags with each passing day. There was a candy shop down the way, he could purchase a whole bag of candy and spend days mocking passing children with his sweets that none of them were allowed to have. Or he could find some fella to make his night a little less cold, now wasn’t that a tempting idea.

Then it struck him, the perfect idea.

Why have just one piece of gold when he could have more?

There was a well known gambling alley maybe half a mile away, and as luck would have it the sun was about to go down. Perfect time for illegal gambling. This piece of gold was the start of a streak, Jamie just knew it!

Jamie started walking down the street. Then it turned into a brisk pace, then a jog, and soon Jamie was near sprinting down the sidewalk weaving though the people too slow to get out of his way.

Destiny was calling, and he wouldn’t be late!

\-----

Chances were, if you threw a rock in any direction in Jamie’s hometown you would hit a gambler. Said gambler would then take the rock and hide it under one of three cups in order for you to guess which one it was under after they shuffled the cups around really fast when in reality they slipped the rock into their sleeve when you weren’t looking and no matter what you chose you’d be wrong.

That’s why Jamie didn’t go for the shufflers, or the card dealers. Shifty eyes and quick hands, something Jamie prided himself on and knew the dangers of all too well. No, dice would be his game. Riskier in theory, but there wasn’t a way to swindle the dice as long as you made sure they weren’t loaded first.

The dice players were a particular lot, selective of who they let join outside of their set group of regulars. That’s why when Jamie strolled up to them they gave him one look over before roaring with laughter.

“Go home, little boy.” One of them cried, waving Jamie away with the back of his hand. “This is a man’s game.”

“I am a man, ya shit-faced cocks!” Jamie snapped, stomping his foot on the ground for emphasis. A poor move, as it only increased their laughter.

“Fine,” Jamie reached down into his pocket, fishing out the gold coin and holding it proudly between his thumb and forefinger. “Guess ya don’t want what I got to offer.”

The flash of gold shut them all up real quick and a wide grin spread over Jamie’s face.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Junkrat twirled the coin skillfully between his fingers, letting it flip over his knuckles playfully.

“Where the hell did ya get something like that?” One of them asked, (rightfully) suspicious.

“Doesn’t matter, point is I got it an’ I know ya want it.” Jamie waggled his eyebrows. “So,” Junkrat pressed the coin back into his palm. “Do we got ourselves a game?”

Shared glances around the group and an unspoken, general consensus was made. “Alright kid, you got yourself a game at the big boy’s table. Place your bet.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Junkrat waved a hand in front of himself in a halting gesture, tucking the coin securely back into his pocket. “What do I get if I win?”

They actually seemed a little impressed that Jamie had asked such a question, probably thinking him no more than some naive child they could swindle out of his only pretty penny. The man in the center, likely the leader of their whole gang, spoke up first.

“We could give you double your gold if you won,” His sly smirk alluding to some other option. “Or you could have this.”

Jamie busted out laughing when he saw the rolled up piece of paper the man held before him. The pathetic thing looked like it had been dragged through the mud and then chewed up like a dog. No doubt he had made some bad decisions in his life, but Jamie knew he wasn’t  _ that dumb. _

“Dunno when I was born, mate, but it wasn’t last night!” Jamie howled, wiping away a stray tear out of the corner of his eye. “What the hell makes ya think I want some rotted ol’ piece of scrap paper?”

“Oh, but it’s not the paper, it’s what’s  _ on  _ it.”

With a flick of his meaty wrist the paper unrolls itself to reveal a series of pictures. Junkrat had to squint his eyes and lean in closer to make any of it out. The clearest part of it was a long line that twisted itself across the entire paper, small icons set out sporadically like some kind of markers. The blocky structure of the entire thing gave it some kind of foreign attribute and all along the edges of the paper was covered in an intricately designed border that was dizzying to look at. Right at the very bottom was scrawled something in black ink, obviously added later than the actual picture due to its blatant contrast to the rest of it, were two words. 

“El Dorado.” Junkrat pronounced slowly. He had never heard those words before. “Okay, ya decided to show me a shitty map that leads to nowhere. Congratulations. The hell does any of this mean?”

“It means the City of Gold, idiot.” The gambler sneered. “New World treasure no one has ever seen before.”

_ Did he say treasure? _

Jamie felt his mind come alive at the mere mention of such a thing, nerves shooting off in every possible direction that Jamie swore would cause him to physically vibrate. Immeasurable wealth, and this man held the key to finding it? The answer was obvious.

Junkrat nodded quickly. Yup. This was the best idea. “My coin, an’ yer map. We got ourselves a deal.”

Yellow teeth revealed themselves in the grins the gamblers wore as a set of dice was tossed Jamie’s way. Thank God for fast reflexes otherwise he would run the risk of dropping them like an idiot.

Which he did anyway.

Jamie quickly recovered the dice from the ground, listening to one of the men (big guy to the left, eyepatch and a long scar on his forearm) began listing off the rules. It was all white noise, Jamie knew how to play since he was a kid.

“Call your roll,” The man in the middle grunted, rolling up the map slowly. Jamie watched as the pictures slowly rolled out of view. 

_ Soon, that will be mine. Just don’t fuck it up. _

“Four.” Jamie decided without putting any real thought into it. He clasped his hands together, keeping the die fit into the hollow of where his hands met. Then he shook his hands vigorously, enjoying the clacking sounds they made and the way the wood gently bumped against his palms.

More shaking.

Even more shaking than that.

Jamie switched the position of his hands to keep them right next to his ear.

Maybe if he moved his arms a certain way he could get the dice to spin in h-

“Would you just roll already!” 

The growling voice caused Jamie to yelp and drop the dice. They clattered to the floor, both of them slowly tumbling to a stop against the stone.

Two and Two.

“Shit!” Jamie threw his fists into the air above his head. Excitement made his whole body feel warm and electric and he felt like vibrating all over again. “I did it! I fuckin’ did it!”

“Hey now, you still got two more turns before that amounts to anything, ya smelly rat!” The jeer paired with laughter came from one of the other players who sat on the sidelines.

“Oh,” Jamie dropped his arms. “I knew that. Rack off, can’t a guy get excited anymore?”

Second roll. “Don’t pass,” Jamie pronounced, shaking the dice in his hands again. “Uh, fuck I dunno, six? Six.”

Open hands and the dice went to the ground again, bouncing against the rocks until slowly they came to a stop. Jamie could feel the cold sweat drip down the back of his neck.

Five and one.

“Holy shit,” Jamie’s whole body sagged in relief, half ready to collapse from the stress of the situation. The players exchanged glances again, their expressions too practiced to look nervous.

The final roll. Jamie decided this time he would pass.

Jamie kissed the dice, he blew on them as they rattled in his hands, he prayed to every god he could think of in the span of fifteen seconds.

Jamie was a little too excited when releasing the die. They flew farther than they ever did before, skittering further away. One of them stopped before the other. A two. The other die kept going, bouncing against the boot of the gambler and sending an electric shock of panic straight up Jamie’s spine. The blond chewed nervously at his lip, pulling off layers of skin even though it stung. The pain and copper taste of blood was a mild distraction from the anxiety of the moment.

The die flipped one last time. Everyone held their breath. The world seemed to move in slow motion.

A four.

Jamie screamed and fell to his knees ( _ owthatfuckinghurtyouassbutwhoCARESWEWON)  _ and pulled at his hair. The men around him groaned, all secretly wishing for the young boy to fail.

“Lucky, kid. Here you go.”

The map was tossed casually over to Jamie who caught it and held it tightly to his chest, so lost in the moment that he didn’t notice two of the other players move from their spots to stand behind him.

“Damn shame about that gold,” The gambler mused, scratching his stubble covered chin thoughtfully. “Could have gotten something real nice with it.”

A roll of his eyes, a scoff, Jamie was back on his feet. “Yeah, well go cry on yer mom’s tits ‘cause ya ain’t gettin’ nothin’ from me. I know how to quit when I’m ahead. Maybe I’ll stop by tomorrow an’ we can try again. Unless I’m too busy rollin’ in my riches.” He slid back to leave, only for his back to meet with the very sturdy presence of another human being.

Jamie craned his neck back, wide eyes met with the glowering stare from the man behind him.

The man in front of Jamie chuckled and stepped closer. He reeked of smoke and the stench of it made Jamie’s nose wrinkle. “You say that, but there’s four of us and only one of you. So what exactly is stopping us from taking back the map along with your gold coin and whatever else you got in your pockets?”

Jamie laughed. It was his response to everything. Excitement, anticipation, sadness, anger, fear, the overwhelming pressure of knowing he was in a totally fucked up situation where he barely had more than a prayer to escape from it. It bubbled up uncontrollably from within him and the pitched sound echoed through the otherwise silent alley. None of them were laughing with him.

“Well, ya see, thing thing ‘bout all that is…” Jamie kept starting and stopping himself, his mind coming up with a million different things to say. None of them good or helpful so he skipped through them as quickly as they came.

_ Shit. _


	2. Foolproof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Not like Jamie knows that, though

“Now I think we can all be reasonable gents about this, am I right?” Jamie lifted his hands up in a form of surrender, but he still kept the map clasped tightly in his grasp. “Do I look like I got shit on me? I’m broke!”

“You got gold though, don’t you?” One of the players growled behind him, reaching for his shoulder. The hairs on the back of Jamie’s neck prickled in warning as the hand moved closer and Junkrat jumped out of reach.

“Jus’ the one! Found it in the gutter, so why don’t ya go take a dip in the sewers an’ come out richer than kings if ya want it so bad!” Jamie snapped and slowly circled the men surrounding him, trying to keep an eye on them all at once. He needed a way out of this. Some kind of distraction. What did he have on him that he could he use as a distraction?

The money.  _ No, that’s what they want idiot. You want it too. _

The map.  _ Also what you want. You’re not very good at this are you? _

Fuck off. 

The tooth. The tooth? Would that even work? Did he have a death wish?

Jamie bit at his lip as his mind raced to come up with some kind of way out of his predicament that didn’t end with him beaten to a pulp, mugged, or a winning combination of the two. The gamblers around him were growing impatient and closing in, ready to take by force what Jamie wouldn’t offer freely.

“Wait!” Jamie threw his free hand in his pocket, rustling around until he felt the smooth surface of what he was looking for and pressed it into his palm. “Fine. Ya got me! I can’t fight all of ya. But there’s only the one gold an’ I can already tell none of ya are the sharin’ type. So catch!”

Jamie thrusted his hand out from his pocket and out into the air, letting loose what he held in his hand. The men all instinctively looked up and moved to catch it; exactly like Jamie hoped they would.

There was no time to waste. While the men were distracted Jamie pushed past them and sprinted as fast as he could out of the alley and down the street. He didn’t get much of a head start when he heard the angry screaming coming from behind him. They were saying something, probably a lot of threats and obscenities against Jamie’s person, but his heart was beating so fast and all Jamie could hear was the sound of his heavy breathing as he moved as fast as his legs could carry him. 

Jamie was smaller and younger than his pursuers, but the one advantage he did have was a knowledge of the streets. Dice players and all gamblers liked to stick to their routine, and chances were at least half of them had homes to go back to at the end of the night. They didn’t have to roam the streets like Jamie; they didn’t have to know which places meant death or arrest should he innocently wander by, or where the dead-end alleys were and how the sewers connected underneath the roads to get by for albeit disgusting but safer travel. Jamie’s ratty boots slid against the stone as he made a sharp turn, the barest hint of worn treads on the bottom catching on the ground just enough to keep Jamie from slipping and falling on his face. Jamie kept running even as his bad foot started to ache and every heaving breath burned his lungs. He continued to wind down the streets passed buildings and houses, using whatever leverage he could grab to propel him forward or make a quick turn in time.

He just needed to outsmart the gamblers, turn them all around in the twists and turns of the city until Jamie was out of sight with no trail left behind.

Things were never that easy.

He should have accounted for the side streets, he also shouldn’t have underestimated his opponents enough to think them stupid enough not to use them. But with the angry shouting still behind him Jamie didn’t suspect that when he rounded a street corner he would find half of the group there waiting for him.

They split up to catch him quicker. Teamwork. 

“That’s no fuckin’ fair, ya cheaters!” Jamie tried to backpedal but with all his forward momentum it was like his body forgot how to move backwards. The men started towards him but Jamie was able to twist his way around and start off again just in time.

The moon had risen and the city went dark and the only illumination were the lamps that lined the streets. As Jamie sprinted by them they all seemed like yellow blurs. He was actually starting to panic now, his already impromptu plan dashed and now he had to come up with a whole new one without being able to properly think.

Luckily thinking was never one of Jamie’s strong points anyway.

Okay, back to basics. Where was he? He could hear the waves and smell the salt of the sea, telling him that he was either nearby or approaching the docks. The docks had people coming in and out all times of day. Sailors returning home to wives who never stayed faithful and soldiers leaving for missions. He didn’t want to be anywhere near soldiers, but not nearly as much as the gamblers didn’t want to be.

It was a mental back and forth whether Jamie possibly endanger himself to get out of the very real and happening danger he was in now. He hadn’t committed any crimes that people could prove but people only had to take one look at him to make the assumption that he was some petty criminal slumming in the streets.

Yeah, they were right but would it kill someone to assume the best of him for once?

“Fuck it.” Jamie muttered under his breath, taking the street to the left as it branched off in other directions. Stone gave way into wood boards as Jamie ran on the docks. He half weaved half pushed through the crowds of families until he heard the shouting die off. 

“Ha!” Jamie exclaimed as his mad sprinting slowed down into a walk. “Serves ‘em fuckin’ right!” 

Jamie walked a few more feet until he had to lean against a nearby fish stand for support as he caught his breath. It was like his lungs were filled with fire. When Jamie swallowed his throat was totally dry. Jamie groaned and stuck his tongue out. He was thirsty, sweaty, dirty, hot, and a little light headed. And those were the only issues he could come up with off the top of his head. But Jamie had priorities, and as of this immediate moment he needed something to eat or at least drink.

Looking around didn’t prove to be very successful. On the docks there were people, fish, and more fish. Jamie found a stray dog sniff around near the shops, his fur matted and stomach shriveled up tight.

If that mangy thing even thought about taking any potential food scores Jamie would throw it into the ocean.

Okay, maybe not. But he definitely wasn’t above wrestling a dog for some scraps of food. Survival trumped pride.

Jamie chewed at his dry lips as he continued walking up and down the docks, waiting for someone to get lazy and look the other way long enough for him to slide by and snag something of value off them. Everyone at the docks seemed so civilized and put together, talking to each other as if they were all lifelong friends. Maybe they were.

What was having a friend like? Jamie bet it was nice. 

Their conversations buzzed in his ears as he passed through the crowds. Every now and then Jamie would slip his hand into his back pocket, making sure the map was still safely tucked away there. For all the grief he went though to get it Jamie was making damn sure it wouldn’t slip away from him. He wasn’t going to find anything here, it’d probably be best if he turned back around now before it got too dark and the night guards started their patrol.

The loud banging sounds of crates jostled Jamie out of his thoughts. His eyes were attracted to the movement and noise and discovered two sailors going up and down a loading bridge getting all kinds of boxes on board for what was probably an upcoming journey. Jamie would bet his right arm that at least one of those boxes were packed to the brim with food. Fruits and dried meats, hell even some vegetables. Jamie’s mouth was watering at the mere idea of it all.

Jamie hung back across the dock, trying to look innocuous while at the same time keeping an eye on the boat. It would be tricky getting on by the bridge, he’d be in direct line of sight with everyone. No, he needed to think of an ulterior route.

As it continued to grow darker civilians left for the warmth of their homes. Jamie was in a delicate time frame between it being dark enough for him to get by unseen and yet still early enough where passersby weren’t immediately suspicious of his lingering presence. If he wanted one of those boxes he’d need to act quick to get on. He could just use the bridge to get off, it wouldn’t matter if people saw him because he wasn’t exactly planning on taking his time with the getaway. Besides, he had already proven his luck twice today, what was one final runaround from the guards?

The second best way to get on board wasn’t really a good way by definition. Boats were meant to pierce through water, slick and smooth. So when Jamie waited until no one was around and literally leapt from the edge of the dock to climb up the side of the boat he was met with some difficulty.

Jamie wheezed as he came into contact with the side of the ship, all the air in his lungs that he finally got back after his mad dash leaving him once again. His hands and feet scrambled to find purchase and mercifully enough his hand grabbed onto a rope while his feet caught on the edge of some wood that was most likely a cover for a cannon. 

Oh what Jamie wouldn’t do to light off one of those… just hearing them echo after an explosion from far across the sea could send Jamie into a tizzy. But being there to experience it first hand, to smell the gunpowder and feel the vibrations down to his very bones all the way down to his toes and probably his-

_ You’re hanging off the side of a ship. Hurry up _

“Right,” Jamie breathed, pressing his hot face against the cool wood. “Always right. Time to move on.”

Grappling up the ship was challenging, half the time Jamie was moving up he could only blindly reach for something to hold on to. At least three times he almost went careening backwards and down into the ocean. Not the way he’d want to go. When Jamie finally got his hands on the edge of the railing he could have wept for joy, but there was still work to be done.

With a small grunt Jamie lifted himself high enough for his head to peek over the railing to scope out the deck. The coast was clear.

Jamie giggled excitedly as he swung his leg over and hopped down onto the deck. Everything was clean and orderly and the wood floor didn’t even creak under his weight; this was a fancy ship for sure. Well funded and well stocked.

The crates were left abandoned with good faith that they would remain there until needed later. Morons.

Jamie went about inspecting each one, trying to find the one he wanted. They all held good things, but Jamie could do a lot more with a box of food than he could a box full of armor. He couldn’t sell it without conjecture from his buyers and he really only had the arm strength and time to get away with just one box. So for today he had to make the much more boring decision of picking food over possible goodies. Lame.

He was elbow deep in a box containing what he was pretty sure were various ropes when he heard voices drawing near. Jamie froze, his situation dawning on him in a moment of horrible clarity. The crew were returning from below deck, and he had nowhere to go.

Jamie looked around wildly, trying to come up with yet another solution for a problem he had gotten himself into. That probably could have summarized is entire life. 

Hiding behind the boxes wouldn’t be enough cover, not for someone of his gangly size, and jumping overboard was  _ not  _ an option. There wasn’t much on deck that could really hide someone like him, the closest thing being one of the barrels all lined up next to the boxes. It was a desperate hope, but a hope nonetheless as Jamie dove away from the boxes and over behind one of the barrels. He knocked one of them with his knee and it wobbled dangerously.

That was odd.

Quick inspection and Jamie discovered the barrel was empty, the wood at the bottom the only thing to greet his curious gaze. 

It was such a bad idea, but jail time sounded even worse. As the voices drew nearer Jamie threw himself into the barrel, his long limbs awkwardly folding against his body as he shut the lid on top of his head. 

There! He was safe for the time being.

Already his joints and muscles began to ache from the position he was now being forced to hold, but Jamie mentally scolded himself. He could do this, it was just like a higher stakes game of hide and seek that he used to watch the children of the city play when he was younger. He never joined, mostly because no one would have ever bothered to look for him, so he would fit all of that in now. It was simple: he’d wait a couple hours until everyone went to bed and then he’d pop out of his barrel, make off with the crate of food, and get back to his alley before the sun rose and anyone was any more the wiser.

It was the perfect plan.

He hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooow I think this is the longest I've ever taken in between posting chapters! College has eaten up all of my free time and energy, so as soon as I settle in for the night I'm so tired I barely type out a sentence then I'm ready to pass out. Good thing this fic hasn't attracted a lot of attention!  
> Still though, I'm thankful for everyone who reads my nonsense, I'm glad you can get something out of it! I'd love to know what you think, so leave a comment if you could :)


	3. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trading in one prison for a slightly bigger one isn't exactly an improvement

Hour three. Or maybe four. Honestly it was impossible to tell since there was nothing to look at except for wood. Wood in front, wood to the sides, and wood in the back. No matter how long Jamie waited for the voices and footsteps to leave they never seemed to go away. If anything, there was more of them now. Who would still be up at this hour? If they were going to set sail in the morning they should have gone to bed hours ago. But no, everyone on the whole ship seemed to be up and Jamie was forced to wait them out from inside a barrel. The only good part about it was at first had been how warm being in the barrel, but as he continued to sit in there it got stuffy and difficult to breathe. Jamie was even starting to feel a little dizzy.

_ Terrific plan.  _

“Shut the fuck up,” Jamie whispered to himself, knocking his forehead against the curve of the bent wood. Just a couple more minutes and he would be free. Just a couple more…

Jamie jumped as an outside force jostled the barrel. His small world swayed dangerously, unseen hands from the outside thudding dully as they touched the barrel and for a second Jamie feared that he would be discovered. But instead of the lid coming off, Jamie got the distinct feeling that he was being lifted. He wasn’t one hundred perfect sure, but the lurch in his gut and the slight swaying motion indicating movement helped support his theory. Jamie braced himself against the barrel, using his hands and knees pressed hard against the wood to keep himself from moving around. The last thing he wanted was to be discovered right now.

Wherever he was being taken it was underneath the deck, the awkward descent down the stairs causing Jamie to bounce with every step. Escape was much harder now, especially because Jamie didn’t know the layout of the ship. Hell, any ship. There was wood, rope, sails, and holes for cannons and that was about the extent of his knowledge on ships. But upstairs and downstairs were simple enough. As long as Jamie knew where to find the stairs again he would be able to go up and jump ship if needed. It wouldn’t be a comfortable landing on the dock, but nothing felt better than freedom. 

Fuck the food, at this point Jamie just wanted to escape with his life.

Jamie bit his lip to stifle himself as he was practically dropped down on the ground somewhere. At least they had the decency not to put the barrel on its side or upside down. Still, Jamie wished he could have seen their faces so he knew who to punch later for the careless treatment. If they had known he was in there they would have thought twice about being so reckless with damaging the goods.

Actually if they had known he was in the barrel the more likely outcome would end up with him thrown in the brig and the authorities contacted.

Whatever.

Not knowing if the men who carried him down had left yet, Jamie was forced back into the waiting game. It was the worst kind of torture he could think of. His erratic thoughts kept on thinking of ways to escape, rewriting over the previous plan again and again until everything blurred together. It felt like his confines were shrinking to an even smaller size, slowly but surely squeezing the life out of Jamie until there would be nothing left and the next time someone opened up the barrel they would find nothing but his withered corpse. Breathing through the nose and out the mouth, an old trick his mother taught him too many years ago to get him to calm down during his fits. But with every breathe it blew back right in his face and suffocated him further. Sweat was beginning to slide down his face and drip from the point of his chin and tip of his nose. Jamie couldn’t focus, he couldn’t breathe. His heartbeat was so loud he was sure other people could hear it too.

Jamie couldn’t do this. He needed out.

Aching muscles protested as Jamie forced himself to stand in the confined space of the barrel, the back of his head pressing up against the lid. It had been sealed tight but not tight enough, and with a final push from his legs the lid popped off and Jamie threw himself out of the barrel as if it had been on fire.

Jamie hit the ground hard but didn’t care. He gulped down the fresh air so quickly it made his head spin, the cool floor a welcome sensation that helped to ground him even if it was covered in grime. Slowly his aching muscles started to relax once again, his back occasionally spasming as it adjusted to being stretched out again. How long had he been in that barrel? It felt like days. Jamie never wanted to be stuck in such a small place like that ever again.

Being so preoccupied it was easy to forget that he wasn’t alone.

Apparently the men who had so gracefully dropped off Jamie’s barrel hadn’t gone far, and the sounds from Jamie’s grand escape alerted them of his presence. Jamie didn’t realize this, however, until the men were standing right in front of him.

For a few seconds time seemed to freeze as the men and Jamie considered one another. They were large and muscular men, they had to have been to inadvertently lift Jamie without issue, their arms folded over their chests and matching scowls aimed down at him. Jamie’s fingers nervously skittered along the floor, unable to remain still in even such a tense moment as this.

“Uh, this ain’t my house.” Jamie sat up, looking around. His voice sounded far too loud in the dead silence around them. “Must of had one too many an’ slipped aboard. Honest mistake, really.” He laughed, the men didn’t laugh with him.

Everyone moved at once. Jamie stood and bolted towards the stairs at the same time the men started forwards to grab him. A lifetime of running had prepared Jamie for this moment and he was able to evade the outstretched hands with an awkward twist of his spine.

“Shit, shit, fuck, shit,” A continuous string of curses fell from Jamie’s mouth as he scrambled up the steps. They were wet, slippery with sea water and Jamie’s boots squeaked loudly as he ran up the stairs and back up to the deck.

The ocean breeze chilled Jamie to the bones as he came to a halt. At least a dozen more sailors were there to greet him, their grim looks illuminated by the lanterns hanging from the masts and casting the world in it’s orange and flickering glow. They all had stopped whatever tasks they had been doing before Jamie had entered, some of them still carrying ropes and another with a mop who had paused mid-swab. But with two sailors shouting and stomping up the stairs after Jamie it only took a second for the rest of them to spur into action. It was hard to discern any one person’s screaming but it didn’t take a genius to figure out they were all angry. Ships were big enough to carry hundreds of people, but no one seemed to appreciate it when just one person snuck aboard.

It wasn’t like Jamie took up that much space. But he had a sneaking suspicion that the sailor’s were too idiotic to be reasoned with.

Out-maneuvering two people was relatively easy, but going up against more than ten was near impossible and Jamie had little space to work with. That’s why his first instinct was to jump ship and get back on the docks.

With everyone running at Jamie he only had a couple seconds to react, jerking to the side as he makes a desperate break for the side of the ship. As he got closer and closer towards the empty blackness out from beyond the ship Jamie braced himself for the sure to be painful crash landing back down on to the docks. Jamie scrunched up his arms close to his sides and took a deep breath, using his long legs to leap over the railing and out towards his freedom.

And that’s when Jamie realized something very important.

The city was never as pitch black as it was right then that evening. As soon as the sun would go down the lamps in the streets would be lit soon after, and there would always be a few homes that fell asleep before responsibly blowing out their candles. There were no sounds of the guards and their horses gently trotting down a nearby street as they made their rounds.

Jamie continued to fall, never hitting the warped yet secure wood of the docks. His assured pose left him in favor of flailing his limbs wildly to try and find anything to hold on to only to grasp at the cold night air. There wasn’t even enough time to scream before Jamie hit the water.

The ocean hurt. There was almost not other way to describe it. Though Jamie felt himself sink into the water it was like he had hit solid ground, but the stinging sensation left upon impact was quickly replaced by a deathly cold. It overtook Jamie’s entire body from his toes to the tips of his ears and everything tingled and became very heavy all at once. All the screaming from the ship was snuffed out all at once, Jamie could only hear the bubbles float around him but he could see them even if they were two inches from his face. It was so dark, not a single spark of light or warmth but it didn’t seem to matter as the sea water stung his eyes into blindness. He needed to get back to the surface, but which way was up? Jamie could feel himself sink and tried to move in the opposite direction but no matter how much he moved he never seemed to get any further to the top. Was he swimming in circles? Was he even moving at all? Swimming was always something he avoided as much as possible, but how hard could moving his arms and legs be? Jamie’s limbs felt sluggish and heavy while his head became increasingly light. His lungs burned and there was a painful pressure in his ears.

Was this what dying felt like? Perhaps he was already dead and this was what being dead was like; neverending confusion and pain. Jamie thought he had his fill of that in life.

_ You’re going to die alone, your rotten corpse picked apart at the bottom of the ocean. No one will ever miss you. _

Maybe it was better that way.

Somewhere above him Jamie could hear the dull echo of something else hitting the water. It wasn’t much to rely on, but in that moment that sound might as well have been a bright beacon of light that led Jamie back up to the surface. Suddenly there was hope again. Jamie forced all the remaining energy in his body into his arms and legs as he started swimming.

Breaking the surface of the water was without a doubt the greatest moment of relief Jamie had ever felt in his life. It was still dark, but the lights from the ship helped to orient Jamie to his surroundings. Getting to the surface had been hard, but staying there had proven itself to be even harder. Jamie wasn’t sure what to do with his arms or legs to keep himself afloat and with each passing second he was getting more and more tired. His freezing muscles were growing tight with fatigue. There was no other option, he had to get back on the boat. Imprisonment was much better than drowning. 

Shouting could be heard from the boat like before, but this time it was much more urgent.

“Hey!” Jamie’s throat was raw and his voice was weak. “Help!” Jamie craned his neck up to see the sailors all bent over the railing to look down at him in return, they were all waving at him while some of them were pointing to something near him. 

Squinting as he looked around Jamie finally discovered what they were all pointing to; that sound of something hitting the water turned out to be a rope that they had thrown overboard after him. There wasn’t time to consider whether he could hold on long enough or not, Jamie just focused on swimming to the rope and wrapping his cold hands as tight as he could around the frayed line. As soon as Jamie got a hold of the rope the sailors started pulling him up. His hands were white with how hard he clung to the rope but throughout the slow process up the side of the ship and back onto the deck Jamie didn’t loosen his grip at all. 

Jamie hit the deck with a loud thump, his body curling in on itself as Jamie shivered violently. It was like the strongest winter winds had blown straight through him and left him with an empty husk filled with nothing but ice.

The ringing in Jamie’s ears prevented him from fully hearing what the sailors were all saying, but it would have been an easy assumption to say they were talking about him. They were kind enough not to let Jamie drown in the inky blackness of the ocean but now they were left with the dilemma of what to do with him now that he was alive and back on board. The talking stopped when they all apparently came to a consensus, and two men stepped forward to grab a hold of Jamie who was too weak to even fight back. Jamie would be properly humiliated by it when he was warm again.

Half dragging and half carrying Jamie the two men took him back underneath the deck and down into a small room Jamie hadn’t seen before. What did they call this part of the ship again? Whatever it was it was probably some fancy word that just meant ship-jail. One of the sailors let go of Jamie and with a set of keys at his hip the door creaked open to reveal a dark room.

Great, more darkness.

Tossing him inside Jamie expected to hit the ground again, but instead his back bumped into something relatively squishy and  _ incredibly  _ warm. Jamie didn’t even care when the door was slammed and locked because he was too preoccupied with curling himself around this mysterious source of warmth in order to get his own body heat back.

“Aw, fuck,” Jamie sighed, his throat still dry. “That’s the stuff.”

Jamie tried to get as much of himself warm as he could. Shimmying up he draped himself down across the unknown blob, his whole body being able to sprawl out over it. Whatever it was it must have been big because Jamie felt tiny in comparison, and feeling tiny was not something Jamie experienced a lot.

Being pressed up against something so warm was soothing, and Jamie found himself closing his heavy eyes. Behind his lids they still burned from the sea water but closing them provided minor relief. But just as he was about to drift off into sleep the warmth grunted and shifted underneath him, jostling Jamie awake and down on to the ground. Using his eyes hurt but Jamie could not stop looking at the dark and gruesome figure now looming over him. 

It was a person, despite the deep growl coming from him that suggested completely otherwise, a gigantic person who probably could have been better classified as a mountain. It may have been almost completely dark in the room, but it was clear that this behemoth was angry and staring right at Jamie who was the only outlet for aggression in the small cell they were now sharing.

“Hello.” Jamie waved slightly, putting on his best and widest grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get to the notes, HUGE shoutout to lifewhatisthat who made fanart for this fic!! I about died when they asked if they could draw something and when they finished it turned out incredible!! find the art here: http://lifewhatisthat.tumblr.com/tagged/myart along with their other amazing drawings! Seriously, give them some love  
> Eyyyy this chapter is finally finished!! Ten guesses who the mysterious figure is. Go on, I'll wait. But I'm really excited for this fic to really start up into the main plot because I have so many ideas for how to take this! I also have some fluffy roadrat fics in the works which will make up for my angst streak.  
> If you want to come say hi or talk to me come to my blog moonshotsandstarsocks.tumblr.com !!


	4. Tensions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting new people is bad enough, meeting a person capable of ringing your neck like a rag can be a little more intimidating than usual. Jamie talks too much and Mako kills first and asks questions later

Jamie never would have thought he could describe an indiscernible blob as raging pissed, but no other words could properly work.

The roar the other man made was something straight out of some chilling tale people told to scare children. It was so loud it made Jamie’s ears ring and the wood boards to the floor felt like they were shaking. Every instinct Jamie had told him to freeze right then and there, but that wasn’t an option. In the darkness of whatever hold they were in Jamie’s new cellmate had no issues seeing him and rushing at him. With a surprised and slightly undignified yelp Jamie lept out of the way, both men crashing into different walls.

It seemed like their first meeting could have started of better.

“What the f- Whoa!” Jamie ran out of the way again, his legs and body colliding with various crates that must have been stored in this room before it became some kind of impromptu prison. There would be bruises later, but Jamie was too freaked out and spiked on adrenaline that he didn’t even flinch at or even acknowledge the pain.

Maybe his eyes were more adjusted from however long he had been locked in there before Jamie entered, because every evasive maneuver Jamie pulled the man would be right back on top of him seconds later.

“C’mon, mate! This is fuckin’ ridiculous!” Jamie was gasping for breath as he hurdled a box only for his pursuer to run it over with his body. “This don’t make any sense! Why the hell are ya mad at me?”

With a loud grunt Jamie ran himself into the wall, unable to get proper bearings in the room to know where it ended or began. Cracking his skull against the sturdy wood sent Jamie into a daze, his eyes unfocused as the world seemed to sway dangerously. The momentary pause was all the other man needed to strike. A large hand enveloped the back of Jamie’s head and slammed him up against the wall for a second time. Jamie cried out in both pain and distress. His hands flew behind his head to scratch and pull at the hand that kept him pinned, but in his disoriented state his attempts were weak. Still, Jamie persisted and tried digging his nails into the rough flesh of the man’s hand.

A low growl came from the man behind him, and Jamie became acutely aware of how close the man was when that deep sound resonated through his very bones, making his heart beat out of rhythm. A chill ran down Jamie’s spine like he was in the ocean all over again. The hand added even more force and for a moment Jamie thought his head was going to pop like a squeezed grape. But then the pressure lessened again, still enough to keep him in place but it didn’t hurt as bad.

It was a warning.

Jamie slowly lowered his shaking hands, his breath still coming fast from his futile fleeing only moments ago. From the ragged breaths of the man behind him, he sounded exhausted too.

“I don’t…” Jamie licked his lips, his mind running a million different ways with all the questions he had. But it was an easy decision to try and focus on not getting his skull squished into a pulp first. “I ain’t gonna do nothin’ to ya, I swear. Fuckers up top tossed me down here same as they did to ya.”

More growling and another large hand started moving all over Jamie’s body, the thick fingers prodding impersonally at his skinny frame. A new panic shot up into Jamie’s throat and he started thrashing wildly, his head barely budging in the giant palm of the man’s hand. Jamie did everything he could to struggle, kicking his legs around and his hands reaching blindly around himself if attempts of keeping the roaming hand off of him.

“Fuck it all if ya think I’m gonna take it easy!” Jamie seethed through clenched teeth. “I’ll clench so fuckin’ hard it’ll rip your dick right off!”

Fingers tightened around Jamie’s skull, practically palming it as his head was brought back and bashed it into the wall yet again. It was only a matter of time before his brain started to ooze out of his ears. Jamie was dazed enough to cease his struggling for a few seconds. This man was powerful in a way like no one Jamie had ever met before, huge and domineering. Even without being able to get a good look at him Jamie knew this was a man who he did not want to piss off. How he ever managed to get locked up was a complete mystery.

“Shut up,” The voice was so deep Jamie wasn’t quite sure if he heard it at first. There was a slight accent to it, something completely different in the way he stressed his vowels that Jamie had never heard before. Where could it have been from? But that’s when the hands abruptly disappeared and Jamie was left to slide awkwardly down to the ground, cheek slowly dragging against the wood during his descent.

“Oh,” Jamie peeled himself from the wall, spinning around to face the other man. “So ya can talk. Why’d ya feel like gettin’ handsy, then? Weapons check? Ya seriously think they’d be stupid enough to toss me down here with somethin’ worthwhile? C’mon. Either way, touch me like that again an’ ya will wake up the next mornin’ with your fingers cut off.”

“Didn’t I just tell you to shut up?” The man turned around and took a seat on the ground on the other end of the room. Creating distance, smart. And with his size it needed to be a lot of distance.

Jamie huffed and stuck his tongue out. Either it was too dark for the man to see it or he didn’t care. If it was the latter it didn’t seem to be worth the effort of crossing the room again to pound Jamie into a pulp. 

Now that there was finally a time to calm down Jamie was able to breathe and access his situation. There was no other way in or out from this hold room than the door that was certainly locked, and since there was no light that meant no windows either, unless one was covered by a hatch and hidden in the darkness. There were miscellaneous boxes too, many disturbed from the cat and mouse chase that went on a couple minutes ago. It was possible that something could be crafted from the items in the room, but unless Jamie could quickly develop the ability to see in the dark he would need light to fully understand what he was working with and to try and make something helpful out of any of it.

Jamie rubbed his head and winced, skin still tender from the abuse he suffered after being repeatedly introduced to the wall face first. It was a miracle his nose wasn’t hurt enough to bleed for break. Any of his bones for that matter.

When Jamie squinted his eyes he could make out a few features about the man with him. The dark blob started to take shape. He was big, yes, and certainly fat. But there was also a strength to him, more than just tossing his weight around, and while his gut was almost completely round his arms and legs looked thick with muscle. It would explain how he was able to toss him around like a doll. There was no face to make out but what Jamie could see was long hair that flowed past his shoulders, a light color that was more likely a sign of age than a naturally lighter shade like Jamie’s own hair.

“Keep staring and I’ll knock your eyes out.”

Jamie physically pulled back. “Sorry, mate. Ain’t seen nothin’ like ya before. You’re just so… big.”

That earned him a small grunt and a shrug of one giant shoulder. It was more than enough for Jamie to continue.

“How’d they get such a big cunt like ya down here anyway? Looks like ya could sink the damn vessel with a good left hook if ya had the mind to.”

His big body shifted from side to side, his unease obvious. “Then what?”

Jamie snorted, his face scrunching together to make an incredulous expression. “The hell do ya mean  _ ‘and then what’ _ ?” Jamie dropped his voice to the lowest octave he could manage. “Ya go home! Or somewhere that ain’t a stuffy little room filled with rat shit. Don’t ya got a home to go back to?”

Things went quiet, and Jamie was afraid he pissed the mammoth off again. Jamie pulled his feet closer to himself and tightened muscles to get ready to run again. But more time pressed on, and nothing happened. Jamie relaxed. More silence, and it was a safe guess to make that the other man had fallen asleep. It was a full ten minutes before he spoke up, making Jamie jump when the silence was unexpectedly broken.

“Long ways away.”

“What?” Jamie’s mind backtracked to remember the question that paired with his answer. “Oh! Right, right, you’re home. What do ya mean it’s far off? Like, how far.”

“Across the ocean.”

Jamie waved his hand dismissively in his direction. “Don’t be fuckin’ daft, we all know there ain’t shit out there.”

“My home is not shit.” He growled, low and threatening.

“Okay! Jesus.” Jamie studied the man carefully. “What’s your name, anyway. Mine’s Jamison. But people call me Jamie. At least, they would if anyone ever wanted to call me somethin’, but they don’t. If they  _ did  _ though it’d be Jamie. That’s what I’d like. Anyway! Your name?”

The silence returned. But this time Jamie was nowhere near as patient and he cracked quickly.

“I know ya can hear me, an’ I now know ya understand me so c’mon!” Jamie let his body go limp and fall to the floor. “C’mon! Name! What’s your name, ya heifer?”

It was like Jamie could feel his eyes on him, and even though Jamie didn’t know what they looked like it didn’t make them any less intimidating. Jamie could imagine red eyes, like blood from all the people he’s probably slaughtered. 

“Mako.”

Jamie laughed, repeating the name for himself to try and get a feel for it on his own tongue. “Mako. The hell kinda name is that? Mako! Sorry mate, looks like ya got saddled with a rough one!”

Mako didn’t seem to take Jamie’s comments to heart. He let out a long sigh and shifted himself to lay back on the ground. He pushed some boxes out of his way and rolled over onto his side, his back facing Jamie. Sleep was the easiest way to ignore something.

Without anything to laugh at anymore Jamie’s cackles quickly slowed down to a few giggles, then nothing at all. Watching Mako made sleep seem like a highly appealing idea; Jamie couldn’t remember how long he had been awake now. It all didn’t feel like just one day for all of this to be happening, yet there he was in some hold of a ship traveling God knows where when only the morning before he had been at his street corner begging for change.

Would he ever return back? Sure, there wasn’t any home to go back to but there were warm corners tucked away around the city and the comforting sounds of the hustle and bustle in the afternoon. This was just quiet, boring and monotonous silence. It made Jamie want to grind his teeth together.

Finally following suit with Mako Jamie flopped over onto his side, mirroring the other man’s position with their backs facing one another. Jamie couldn’t imagine himself falling asleep quickly. The stress of that day, his multiple head injuries, the threat of a stranger being able to turn around and strangle him in his sleep with his massively sized hands… those thoughts would surely plague Jamie for hours to come.

Jamie closed his eyes, and he was asleep in seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter that barely meets requirements! Woo! I promise I'll get into the plot soon, so please bare with me ;v;  
> I really enjoy writing this and I have a few other ideas in the works, a few small drabbles here and there. College means late night wriing and even later night editing, so sorry if anything is funky! I'd love to know what you guys think of the story so far, so please comment and/or come talk to me on my tumblr moonshotsandstarsocks


	5. Overlooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A common goal can unite even total strangers

The gentle swaying was the perfect comfort, a smooth rock from side to side like a babe in its mother’s arms. For a few blissful minutes he just remained still to enjoy the rocking.

Jamison yawned and rolled over onto his back, his limbs stretching out in all different directions until his whole body was strung out as tight as it could be. Jamie kept that position for a moment, one seconds… two seconds… three seconds… holding his limbs out and reveling in the tension in his muscles. With a satisfied sigh Jamie let himself go limp once again only to grunt in displeasure when his arms and legs hit the hard floor.

Right. Wood. Locked room. Psychotic cellmate.

_ Where was he anyway? _

Jamie’s eyes opened and he shot up abruptly, a painful pounding in his skull right behind his eyes making itself known barely a second afterward. With a long groan Jamie pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead in hopes that the pressure would alleviate the headache. It didn’t. But as much as Jamie wanted to go back to the soothing world of being unconscious the reminder of a very deadly potential threat kept him awake and on guard. 

As Jamie continued to rub at his aching head his eyes scanned the room. Everything was still dark, but because of that the small sliver of light peeking through on the wall was made even more obvious. Jamie jumped to his feet, swaying slightly as his head spun. He awkwardly stumbled forward, his feet knocking against the scattered cargo resulting in loud banging sounds that no doubt his cellmate could hear; but Jamie didn’t care about that, he was on a mission.

The window, or porthole as Jamie recalled them being named, was covered by a circular piece of wood and fastened closed near the bottom with a rope at the end of the wood and a knob right underneath the porthole. This close to the light Jamie could make out shapes and the vague outlines of his hands as he blindly pulled at the rope in every direction to try and untie it from the knob that kept it closed. A few random tugs and the rope slipped free. 

“Yes! Fuck yes!” Jamie cackled, throwing open the cover to reveal the early morning sun. The sunlight was blinding to Jamie who had been in the dark up until then. It aggravated his headache even more and he squinted his eyes so tightly they were almost shut. Sea breeze blew in, cold and smelling of salt, refreshing against Jamie’s sweaty skin. It was all about the little pleasures in life.

“What the hell are you doing?” The deep bass voice jolted Jamie out of his moment, pulling him right back into his situation at hand for the second time today. Could he not have one moment to enjoy himself?

Jamie glared over his shoulder at Mako, who was now sitting up and sending a better glare Jamie’s way. With the sunlight pouring in that was Jamie’s first really good look at Mako. Like he predicted last night Mako was indeed older, grey hair past his shoulders paired with lines on his face under his eyes and at his mouth. Jamie once overheard a mother tell her daughter that people got wrinkles around their mouth from smiling. Mako didn’t look like he smiled much. The most interesting thing about Mako wasn’t his face, however, it was his body. The darkness had obscured him but now in the light Jamie could see that Mako’s body was almost completely covered in blue ink, the tattoos winding all across his body from his neck and spiraling down to his feet in thick yet intricate patterns that was dizzying to look at. Mako also seemed to be wearing some kind of skirt, a long white piece of cloth with a pink accent at the bottom, cut at the sides to allow his legs free range of motion. Jamie had never seen anything like it, and the longer he looked the hotter his face felt.

_ Fuck… _

“Hey,” Mako growled, Jamie’s eyes snapping back up to Mako’s face. His brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed. “What are you looking at?” He sneered.

Jamie swallowed the lump in his throat, a nervous smile growing on his face. “Sorry, mate. Needed a little light is all. Gotta see what we’re working with, right?”

Mako tilted his head to the side, silently expressing his confusion. Jamie grinned and took his silence as encouragement to continue.

“Dunno why ya kept yourself down here for so long, but I ain’t gonna suffer this shit for another minute.” Jamie shook his head as he approached one of the large groups of boxes. If there was any cargo that could be of use in their escape Jamie needed to know about it as soon as possible.

Jamie fell to his knees, the sound of his bones colliding painfully with the floor making Mako flinch but Jamie didn’t seem to be the least bit phased by it. Instead his focus was on the first crate that he dragged in front of him. The wood paneling was spaced out, allowing Jamie to see the contents inside without having to open it. As far as he could tell, it was full of some kind of cloth. Spare sail maybe, possibly hammocks or even blankets. Nothing of particular interest, the room was hot enough without the use of blankets and Jamie had gone almost his whole life without them so far. Next crate, built tight with a sealed lid. Jamie tried to squeeze his fingers underneath the lid, but he could barely get his fingertips in. He pulled up until the joints of his fingers strained painfully.

“Dammit! Piece of shit!” Jamie snapped, kicking the crate away from him and watching it slide off and crash into the others, causing a few stacked crates to topple and one barrel to slowly roll away off towards Mako. Admittedly, watching it all fall down had been a little satisfying.

Mako watched the barrel as it came to a stop only two feet away from him wobbling back and forth before settling, frozen in its spot as if it had eyes and knew not to come any closer. Mako trailed his eyes back up to Jamie who was doing nothing less than sulking, his skinny arms crossed tightly over his chest and his eyes shooting imaginary daggers into the cargo scattered around them.

For a brief moment Mako closed his eyes and desperately wished for a world where that stick of a man wasn’t his only salvation for getting off of that accursed boat. But sadly, that wasn’t the case.

“What do you need?” Mako’s voice startled Jamie out of his mild tantrum, his mouth agape in surprise. But he didn’t remain quiet for long.

Jamie grinned and popped up to his feet, kicking the crate that was the source of his current frustration over to Mako. “Glad you’re finally on board! Ha! Get it? On board! ‘Cause we’re- right, sorry.” Jamie held a hand up to stop himself, catching on quickly to Mako’s annoyance. Jamie peered around the other crates and barrels as he spoke, looking for something he could open himself. “Whatever ya think is helpful, really. Somethin’ for the door, or maybe for the sailors up top. I dunno if they were smart ‘nough to make sure everythin’ useful was outta here before tossin’ us in, ya know? Maybe we can piece little bits of nothin’ into somethin’. Hell, I’m up for ya pullin’ a dinghy out your ass at this point.”

Mako frowned. “A what?”

Jamie did a double take, scoffing at Mako. “Ya serious there, mate? Ya don’t know what a fuckin’ dinghy is? Tiny li’l mini ship.” Jamie held his hands out but close together as if to provide scale. “Seriously, where the hell ya from that ya dunno what a dinghy is?”

Mako looked down at the crate Jamie had slid over to him. Taking it into his hands made it appear much smaller than it actually was. Mako had that effect on things. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting any possible ways to get it opened other than the lid. There wasn’t. Bracing his hands on opposite sides of the box Mako pressed inward, his muscles flexing as the wood started to give. There was the subtle sound of splintering, the only warning signs before the final crack and broken wood went flying. Mako let it all fall to the ground through his fingers, calloused skin keeping him safe from any serious injury.

Jamie’s cry of surprise had barely registered to Mako, and he looked up just in time to see the shocked expression on Jamie’s face. Wild eyes made wider his his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. The sight made Mako smirk.

“Far away.” Mako said, finally answering Jamie’s question. It didn’t seem to matter, as Jamie was now preoccupied with Mako’s feat of strength.

“Hooley dooley, I dunno if we need anythin’ for the door anymore!” Jamison grinned and ran a hand through his hair to keep it out of his face. “I mean, jus’ in case an’ all that, but  _ fuck _ !”

Jamie couldn’t contain his glee, and he started hopping around while giggling in a high pitched tone that resembled something like a maniacal child. Witnessing such a thing was more than slightly disconcerting. But with his renewed energy Jamie went at the cargo boxes with newfound fervor. Whatever Jamie couldn’t open for himself he simply sent Mako’s way, where the sound of snapping wood was heard only seconds later. It felt so smooth to work together like this, and as long as they kept up the pace everything would be open before any of the sailors felt the need to check on them. It would make it easier if they didn’t bother to check at all, but they seemed like halfway decent folk so time was of the essence. 

With one final tug Jamie freed the last box, revealing its contents. Peering over the edge to get a better look Jamie found… clothes. That brought up their total findings to rope, blankets, cannon balls that were practically useless without the cannon, spices, and  _ clothes _ . Jamie hadn’t been expecting much out of his search, yet he still came out disappointed. The dwindling feeling of hope slipping through his fingers like so many times before.

Jamie threw the clothes out of the crate one by one, his rage building. “No! That can’t… this can’t be it! I ain’t gonna go down this way! This is all fuckin’  _ bullshit _ !” Jamie threw the empty crate against the wall where it fell with an unsatisfying thud, Jamie unable to make it explode like Mako could using only his bare hands. “The fuck do they all think they are, huh? Leavin’ us down here in the dark with some fuckin’ hole in the wall to breathe an’ piss out of! Fuckin’ monsters, all of ‘em!”

Jamie stood up, pacing and circling around without any proper outlet for his anger as he continued to ramble. “They ain’t no better than me! Than you!” Jamie pointed a finger at Mako, who looked thoroughly unimpressed with Jamie’s fit. His lack of any kind of reaction only fueled Jamie further. “Shut the fuck up! They ain’t! Jus’ cause they got born to good families with money an’ love an’ shit don’t mean nothin’! It jus’ makes ‘em weak! They dunno what it’s like havin’ to live day by day, wonderin’ if ya gotta ‘nough food in your belly to not freeze an’ die in your sleep!” Jamie kicked another empty crate. “I hate ‘em! Hate ‘em all! Ain’t none of them ever do any real good in their lives yet they think they’re so much better than everybody else. They all deserve to burn in hell!”

Jamie’s pacing was cut short by a wall, the small porthole on it shining bright with the smell of the ocean blowing through. It had been a comfort an hour ago, but now it just mocked them. Jamie’s face twisted into an expression of disgust as his anger reached its peak.

“ _ Fuck _ !” He screamed, punching the wall as hard as he could. “ _ Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckin’ fuck! _ ” Each word was accented with another punch to the wall. Jamie’s hand burned, and when his hand started to feel slick he was vaguely aware that it was because he was bleeding, the skin on his knuckles splitting from the force of his punches. Jamie didn’t care, the pain was the only thing he could ever count on. It grounded him, brought him back to the moment. Calmed him when nothing else could.

“Hey,” Mako’s voice was right behind him, even though Jamie had never heard him move. How could someone so big move so quietly? Maybe Jamie had just been distracted. “Stop that. You’re being childish.”

Jamie whipped around to face Mako. Even with Jamie standing up to his full height he only made it to Mako’s chest. “Don’t fuckin’ tell me shit! Ya don’t know nothin’ ‘bout what’s best for me, alright?” He snapped, pointing a bloody and accusing finger at Mako. “An’ don’t act like ya ain’t jus’ as mad as me for bein’ down here! They must have taken ya from somewhere, right? Ya don’t look like any person I’ve ever seen before. Don’t ya miss your home?”

Mako’s expression darkened, his thick brow furrowed together over his eyes to give him a menacing and almost primordial grimace. Even in Jamie’s rage a chill ran down his spine. He had crossed some kind of line. Jamie backtracked. “I don’t mean it like ya can never go back! I’m jus’ sayin’ it ain’t gonna happen when you’re all complacent down here, ya know? I want us  _ both  _ to get out, so we can both go back home! Don’t ya want that too?”

Mako’s anger stayed in his eyes, impossibly dark in color and practically glinting with bloodlust, but his body relaxed from its tense position. “Ten days.”

Jamie blinked, lowering his hand. “What?”

“That’s how long until the boat stopped. From when we left my home to when we stopped at yours. Ten days.”

“Ten? An’ now it’s been, what, about two? You’re tellin’ me that even if we were to bust outta here we got another eight days before hittin’ any speck of land?”

“Most likely.” Mako concluded.

“Fuck!” Jamie hissed through clenched teeth. He wanted out of his wooden prison as much as possible, but if they tried to jump ship now there would be nothing but ocean for miles. It was a suicide mission, no other way around it. There was no other option than to stay put and wait until they were closer to land. But could he really last a week in confinement like this? Mako was hardly welcomed company, and there was barely enough room to do anything.

_ And you still haven’t figured a way to get out and escape the ship yet, idiot. _

Right.

Jamison sighed loudly, his whole body deflating with it as he sunk to the floor. “Well, fuckin’ great. Gotta wait it out, I guess. Fuckin’ bullshit slow boats.” He mumbled.

Mako moved back to his side, or the area that could now be considered his side through unspoken boundaries. He sat back down with a grunt, settling his back against the wall. 

“You know,” He began. “You’ll go crazy unless you calm down.”

Jamie let out a humorless laugh. “Too late for that one, mate.” He said dryly, picking at the floorboards.

“There’s still a barrel left.”

That caught Jamie’s attention. His eyes shot up to see Mako holding a non-smashed barrel in his palm. It was smaller than the others had been. Why didn’t Jamie see it earlier? Maybe he was too preoccupied to notice one so tiny. Jamie hopped to his feet and rushed over to Mako. 

“Careful with that! Special casing means special cargo!”

“Doesn’t look special to me.” Mako grunted, handing the barrel over to Jamie.

“It’s tiny! Well, tinier.” Everything looked small compared to Mako, but even so this barrel was noticeably tinier than the rest. Small than Jamie’s torso, though if the weight of it was anything to go by it was packed tightly. Jamie turned the barrel over in his hands, trying to inspect it for any clues of its contents, and there it was

It must have been a fluke that it was left in the hold with them. In the haste of emptying it for prisoners the small thing must have been overlooked. But in no way was Jamie complaining. The red letters were probably thanks to a stamp, the letters uniform and easily read thanks to the large print. Right on the lid of the barrel was one word: POWDER.

The grin on Jamie’s face grew slowly until it was so wide it was bordering on painful. Jamie stroked the lid reverently, fingers delicately sliding over the label.

“Oh yes,” Jamie purred, looking up with Mako to give him a devious smile. “This will do just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy quick update! I felt bad leaving you guys on a filler chapter, so have a slightly less filler chapter! At least it's longer! Can anyone say jail break?  
> Once again, thank you all for your support and understanding with the erratic chapter updates! I'm nowhere close to giving up on this story, even if it takes awhile for me to write ;v;


	6. Plans for the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of something beautiful

Being captive out on the ocean was a special kind of hell. Escape was feasible, but ultimately there was nowhere for them to possibly go. Food and water were brought to them sometime around the afternoon, the door opened up a minimal amount and their meals slid in on the floor. They didn’t take the opportunity to try and break free, finding no point in it.

The meals were dismal, just enough to satisfy the pains of hunger and thirst. When the food and water first arrived an unspoken tension had developed, both men regarding the other with distrust. One starved and the other engorged, both unsatisfied with the measly portions. It was never enough. They ate on opposite sides, forgetting one another for a moment as they scarfed down everything in front of them. The rest of their days were mostly filled with one sided conversations on Jamie’s end, Jamie talking to Mako all about his home and the stupid people in it.

“I tell ya, mate,” Jamie had been sitting down on the floor, dragging his fingers across the wood in circular patterns. “Dunno why I feel like goin’ back there. Full of nobodies doin’ nothin’ until they die.”

“Then why go back at all?”

The question caught Jamie of guard. Partly because he hadn’t expected Mako to respond in the first place. The larger man seemed to value his silence.

Jamie bit at his lip, absently chewing off a layer of dried skin as the thought of a good answer. “Well, I mean, where else could I go?” Jamie’s voice was soft, sincere. There wasn’t anywhere for him in the world, so why bother trying to go somewhere else.

“Just as much of an excuse as to why you should stay.”

Jamie’s nails dug into the wood floor as he frowned at Mako. “Ya don’t know shit ‘bout me, alright? Never will, so don’t try to get to actin’ like you know what’s best.”

Unphased by Jamie’s outburst, Mako just grunted and they were back to the silence again. Jamie tapped his fingers against his knees to an unknown beat, letting the improvisation occupy himself for a few minutes. Without his chatter the other sounds from around them could be heard. The creaking of the boat in the water, the sound of the ocean breeze accompanied by the waves crashing against the side of the ship, the soft pounding of feet on the main deck above them.

The more Jamie listened to the sounds the louder they seemed to get, growing in volume until it sounded like they were right up to his ears, the sounds blending together until it all became one loud and incomprehensible buzz. Jamie pressed his hands into his ears as hard as he could and squeezed his eyes shut, but the darkness could not offer him an escape from the noise. Jamie’s heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.

“Hey,” a dull voice called out in the distance. Jamie whimpered softly and brought his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them to become as small as possible. Nails dug crescent shaped marks into the skin around his ears. Jamie couldn’t breathe.

“Hey!” The voice was louder and suddenly a hand was on him, grabbing on to Jamie by the hair and pulling his head up. The pain snapped Jamie back, and his eyes shot open as he simultaneously gasped for air.

Mako stared back at him, keeping his grip on Jamie’s hair to keep his head in place. They had never been this close before, well not since the first night when Jamie never got to get a proper look at the man. Mako’s eyes were dark, impossibly dark. No pupil in sight yet somehow his eyes glowed with an intensity to them, a sharp focus currently trained right on to Jamie. Thin scars littered his face, the most noticeable one creating a long line trailing down diagonally from the left side of Mako’s forehead down to the middle of his right cheek, the scar from it causing a division in Mako’s eyebrow. Any more to the left or right and Mako would have most likely lost an eye. Damn shame it would have been too, they were pretty eyes.

“Hey.” It was said for a third time, only this time Jamie got to see Mako say it, his thick lips barely moving. Jamie couldn’t seem to stop himself from looking all over the other man’s face. “The hell are you doing?” Mako asked.

“Uh,” Jamie began, no real excuse coming to mind. “It was too loud.”

Mako scoffed and released Jamie’s hair. “It was quiet. Quietest it’s been since you’ve been here.” Mako trudged over to his spot, collapsing more so than actually sitting down. Jamie absently imagined Mako crashing through the floor.

“Ya know, before I got on this ship there was actually a place I was thinkin’ ‘bout goin’ to,” Jamie began as he rubbed at his head to soothe his aching scalp. “Woulda made me richer than kings. Got me a map an’ all that to lead me straight to a massive treasure.” Jamie’s tone was light but dripped with pride as he continued to gloat about some treasure story that Mako was only half listening too.

That is, until Jamie reached back into his pants to pull out a weathered and slightly wrinkled piece of paper folded up into an uneven square.

“This,” Jamie flicked his wrist and the paper unfolded with a sharp snap. “Is said map. Got all the details right here. If I ain’t goin’ home then this is the place where I would be.”

When Mako craned his neck he could make out blurred shapes drawn on the map from across the room. “Do you even know where it is?”

Jamie paused, his eyes going wide before darting down to the paper, then back at Mako, then to the paper for a second time. “Ya know,” Jamie began, his mouth twitching at the corners like it couldn’t decide whether to frown or smile, “I betcha it’s somewhere real obvious. Otherwise there couldn’t be a map like this! Look, it’s even got markings all over it specifically for this!”

Jamie crumpled up the map in his hands and chucked it across the room at Mako, the added force enough to make it bounce harmlessly off the large man’s shoulder. Mako turned his head to follow the map as it fell to the ground, contemplating it for a moment before deciding to indulge Jamie by looking at it. After all, it was the first thing to peak his interest, albeit ever so slightly.

Taking the paper in hand Mako smoothed the map out as best he could, the worn paper smelling like dust and sea water. No words were anywhere to be seen but it was clearly some kind of guide, a red line drawn over a faint geographic background. Images were scattered along the line as what was most likely served as reference points to know you were on the right path.

Mostly it was nonsense, and Mako was ready to tear up the map himself and save Jamie the trouble of his blind chase if they were to ever escape from their hold. But then something caught Mako’s eye; a small shimmer of light where the paper reflected the afternoon sun. 

Looking again Mako found the reflection to be right at the corner of the map, the location to the supposed treasure. Like other places that part of the map also had an accompanying picture, but this one was much different compared to the others. It shined in the light, a reflective sheen that was the same color of the sun.

Gold. Gold painted on in the shape of a tablet with intricate designs that had been scraped away from the paper after the paint had dried. Mako’s stomach dropped when he recognized it right away.

Since the first night neither of them had tried anything, so when Mako was suddenly on Jamie, hand wrapped around his skinny throat and map crinkled up in the other, Jamie let out a loud squawk of surprise and tried to escape too late. Mako squeezed Jamie’s neck, not enough to snap it or even fully cut off his air supply but just enough to make the edges of the world go dark and fuzzy. 

“Wha…” Is about the extent Jamie can croak out. His hands are desperately scratching lines into Mako’s hand, but he didn’t even feel it.

“Where did you get this?” Mako growled as he waved the map in front of Jamie’s pale face. “Where?” 

It’s only when Jamie’s face started to go from white to blue did Mako realize the problem. He released Jamie who then proceeded to crumple to the floor with a deep gasp followed by coughing and a string of choked off curses. Mako didn’t care, not when there was something much more important at stake. “Answer me, you rat!” Mako demanded as he towered over Jamison.

Jamie shot a glare up at Mako, eyes shining bright with anger. “I won it in a street game! The fuck ya care so much ‘bout it? Give it back, ya fat cunt!”

Mako took a small step back, his anger falling away just enough for Jamie to peek through the cracks to what Mako was really thinking. Mako could see Jamie work everything out in his head, the gears turning slowly as his brows furrowed together ever so slightly.

“Ya recognize that, don’t ya?” Jamie stood up slowly, rubbing his tender throat.

Mako snorted and threw the map to the ground at Jamie’s feet. He turned his gaze away at the wall so he wouldn’t have to look at Jamie’s face, bright eyes wide and curious about things he had no right in knowing.

“Oh no,” Jamie shook his head and stomped up right in front of Mako, his skinny finger pointing up at him accusingly. Mako had the equal urge to snap it in half or look away. “Ya ain’t gonna go silent on me now, mate. No one would give that much of a shit ‘bout some map unless they knew somethin’ ‘bout it! So spill!”

It didn’t take knowing Jamison a long time to know he was annoying and as persistent as death, a terrible combination to go up against. Mako felt himself stuck in a corner even when in reality they were both in the middle of the room. 

“I know it.” Mako grunted, choosing to glare down at Jamie from his nose. Height had always been Mako’s advantage, though Jamie didn’t make it as easy as it normally was.

“An’ I know ya know it. That ain’t what I’m discussin’ here, ya drongo!” Jamie’s eyes were wild, bright and intense and focused completely on Mako. “That map,” Jamie gestured down with his chin to where the crumpled up map laid on the ground. “Is my ticket to bigger an’ better things, an’ I’d sooner give up an arm an’ a leg before I let anyone stand in the way of that. Even if it means takin’ on a big cunt like you.”

Jamie licked his lips and poked Mako’s chest, his voice getting low. “Now I know ya ain’t gonna spill for free, life hasn’t muddled my brains up that much yet. So what I’m ‘bout to offer ya is a one time thing. If ya refuse now, I’ll bust my ass outta here myself an’ find the treasure all by my lonesome. But, if you team up with me,” Jamison turned his finger to point it at himself. “I’ll get us both outta this fuckin’ hole. All I ask in return is ya show me to wherever that map is meant to go to. I’ll even split half the treasure with ya ‘cause I’m a decent fella. Square?”

It was hard to follow along with Jamison, but at that moment he was talking more sense than Mako had ever heard him speak before. Mako could have gotten himself out of the ship the day after he had been captured and put on board, but that plan lacked subtlety while the men on board with him had no lack of guns. It wouldn’t have been easy, but Mako was confident he would ultimately win the fight; but then where could he go? Being taken away from his home and traveling out through the waters further than any of his ancestors dared to go was filled with uncertainty, and even now there was no telling if they were heading back the same way. There had been nights when Mako would dream about leaving his home, moving out beyond to greater things none of his people could even imagine.

But that was no longer the case.

“If I take you to that place,” Mako began slowly, though the grin that started to grow on Jamie’s face showed he was already way ahead of Mako’s words. “You have to make another promise. That when you leave, you take me back out with you.”

Jamie blinked, a momentary break in his excitement to look confused. “Wh- yeah, alright. Fine.”

“I don’t want to be your partner,” Mako clarified. “I have been taken away from my home, countless others in my village never made it off the shore because your people slaughtered them where they stood. I want to return the favor.”

Jamie giggled. He covered his mouth with his hands quickly, but it didn’t stop the high pitched sound nor the way his body positively shook. “Oh, mate,” Jamie finally calmed down and stuck out his hand. “Ya got yourself a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it took the country to go to shit for me to finally post a new chapter!  
> Writing this is a nice escape though, and one I desperately needed. I hope people are still enjoying this story, I didn't get any feedback from the last chapter I posted so I can only have my faith. I'd love to hear what you guys have to say though, I thrive off of the comments I receive because you're all just so damn nice ;v;


	7. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opportunity comes knocking at it would be rude not to answer

The plans for it were carefully thought out over a span of days that Jamie couldn’t remember. It was hard to keep track of trivial things like time when he was planning the greatest escape known to sailor-kind. If that was a thing. If not Jamie conceded to himself that he would make it a thing and then surpass all others who dared try it with how magnificent his plan was.

Jamie scoured his memory for the specific structure of the ship, trying to piece together all of his fragmented memories into a usable path to get them up on deck with as little bullshit as possible. Problem was Jamie’s brain was spotty on a good day, and Jamie couldn’t remember the last time he had one of those. Multiple sketches of the boat were carved into the wood floor courtesy of one of the metal bindings Mako had broken in half when he was busting into the barrels with Jamie.

Christ, Mako was strong. So strong. Jamie glanced over at the sudden obsession in his mind that sat about five feet away from him. Mako’s body was turned away from him, tinkering with some metal of his own to fashion something that Jamie couldn’t see over Mako’s massive shoulder.

Jamie chewed on his lip and sighed.  _ Fuck, he’s so big. _

The lack of scratching against the wood must have tipped Mako off that Jamie had stopped working, and his head peeked back over his shoulder to look at the blond. Their eyes met, and Jamie suddenly felt the temperature of the room rise exponentially. 

“Did you figure it out?” Mako grunted, gesturing with his chin to the floor.

Jamie giggled nervously and started carving over the picture, cutting deep grooves into the floor much like three other spots around where Jamie sat. No need for Mako to see another failed attempt. “I, uh, not quite! But we’re gettin’ there! Know most of it, but still a little fuzzy on the layout of down here. Dunno if it connects to the main part with the stairs or if we gotta get through one more place ‘for then. Could mean a whole ‘nother set of guards to worry ‘bout.”

“If there are any guards at all. Takes a lot to run a ship this big.” Mako stood and slowly walked over to where Jamie was. Sitting on the floor Jamie could feel the wood shake with his steps. 

_ Fuck. _

Jamie carved harder into the wood, making sure there was no evidence of what he was trying to depict. Partly in case the guards ever decided to come in when they delivered their meals and another part of it being the shame with creating a flawed plan where others could see it. That other being Mako.

Jamie didn’t know what it was about the older man, but it made him want to be his very best. To impress him. To prove he was worth something more than a stick Mako could pick his teeth with.

Maybe it was the fact that Mako screamed power. The kind of power that parted crowds without so much as a glance, or the power that caused people to whisper about him hours before his arrival. Thinking about all the possibilities for such a presence was dizzying, and it excited Jame to the point of minor indecency to have Mako’s attention. To be something worthy of his time unlike the pathetic ants scurrying around his feet day to day.

“I got most of it…” Jamie said again, turning his body a little to the right to have access to a spot of blank wood where he could start again. The metal dug into his palm and fingers from the sheer force of how tightly he held it, but unless his hand started to bleed Jamie didn’t care. “Did ya ever get a good peek outside the room? Do ya remember it bein’ all open or kinda small space wise?” Jamie mimicked the space with his hands, bringing them far apart and then close together.

Mako was quiet, just staring down at the basic outline of the ship that Jamie had freshly drawn. Jamie sighed, believing it was going to be another one of Mako’s silent moments. As inconvenient as they were fucking annoying. But then Mako reached down, tapping his thick finger in the middle of the ship. “Open.”

“Oh! Yes!” Jamie perked up and brought the metal down to the picture, carving out their room down near the bottom and then leaving a large space before adding a jagged line to depict stairs off more to the right. “Think I remember that now too, jus’ needed a refresher is all!”

“Now,” Jamie tapped on the top of the boat. “This here’s the deck. Dunno how many blokes on it at one time, but from listenin’ to their sea-salted asses stompin’ up above us it seems like they’re active most of the day until ‘round when the sun goes down. That’s when there’s noise below an’ after that we get fed. I’m pretty sure that’s when most of ‘em eat. Means that the deck is pretty clear or empty, but then we gotta deal with most of ‘em bein’ below with us. Either we gotta take ‘em up top or down here. But,” Jamie holds up a finger, then slowly moved it down to point at Mako.  “One possible benefit for havin’ most of ‘em down here is that if we get up those stairs there’s a chance we could seal ‘em in or block the way up to buy us some time. Dunno with what, exactly, it’ll have to be a spur of the moment type situation with whatever we got ‘round us. Or alternatively ya could use your fat ass to block the door an’ take ‘em on when they’re more lined up and easier to knock down. 

Hey, do ya think if ya punched one of ‘em hard ‘nough they’d go flyin’ back into the rest of ‘em and send them all topplin’ down like cards?” Jamie threw his head back and laughed at the idea, the mass of bodies all twisted together and confused. He’d pay the one gold in his pocket to see that.

A large hand came on top of Jamie’s head, pulling it upright once again. Mako was frowning at him. Focus.

“Right, I know.” Jamie pushed Mako’s hand off. For such an aloof character he sure was physical. Probably made up for his lack of talking.

“Anyway,” Jamie gestured at the ship carving again. “When I first got on here I boarded from the right, an’ I tried jumpin’ ship the same way. Wouldn’t recommend that shit, the water is colder than ice an’ darker than hell. So we need one of them smaller boats that they keep for emergencies an’ such. They come with paddles an’ all that so we’ll be able to move on our own. Be smart to grab some food an’ water for it too, in case it takes longer to hit land than expected. Bet I can smuggle that all on while you’re takin’ care of the crew. But since boardin’ was on the right I’d bet my leg that the little boat’s to the left hanging out over the side. Probably a crank to lower it down.”

“You sure?”

Jamie frowned up at Mako. “I’m doin’ my best here! Can’t exactly go for a fuckin’ stroll up top to get the layout of everythin’, now can I?” He snapped.

Thick lips turned up into a snarl. “Watch it.”

Jamie lifted his hands up quickly, irritation dissipating from his instinctual sense of self-preservation. “Okay, sorry. I jus’... I wanna get out of this piss filled, floatin’ nightmare.”

Pleased with Jamie’s reaction, Mako relaxed. “Me too.” He admitted.

\-----

Five more days. Five more days wasting away inside the small, improvised cell. It was hell to be in such a confined area for so long, condemned to stare at the same four walls for hours on end until it felt like they were closing in all around you. Jamie was sure that if it had not been for Mako he would have finally snapped and forcefully tried to escape through the small porthole head first.

The porthole, the only glimpse at the outside world that either of them got to enjoy, and even then it was nothing special. No matter when Jamie looked out it was all just blue. Sometimes it was a bright and clear blue, sometimes it was a grey blue, and if it was late at night it was a black blue. Jamie supposed he could have kept track of his days like that, but that would have required him peeking his head out through the porthole a million times just to know he was still stuck in a ship for yet another day.

No, thank you.

Still, it was Jamison’s never ending curiosity that brought him back to the porthole from time to time, just to get a look at something else other than a wall or Mako’s large back.

_ It’s like the fucker doesn’t know how to turn around. _

Long and skinny fingers grab the cover and push it aside, revealing the bright afternoon sun that glittered off the water, causing Jamie to squint so he wouldn’t be blinded from the sudden shift in light.

“Another new day, another look out into the blue expanse of  _ fuck all! _ ” Jamie screamed out into the open air. Somewhere behind him Mako grunted.

Jamie groaned and smacked his forehead against the side of the porthole, keeping only one eye angled to still look out. As his eye adjusted the bright white outside the world came more into clear view, everything becoming more defined and focused. Jamie could see the sea foam rise and fall with the gentle waves that played on the surface of the ocean, he saw the different blue sky stretch out endlessly with some dark grey clouds out in the east that looked to be coming their way.

_ Terrific,  _ Jamie thought to himself as his eyes followed the clouds.  _ Just what we need, the ship flinging about in all directions and everyone screaming up top. _ At least there could be perks of thunder and lightning, Jamie always loved that. The bright flashes of lightning so close it could make your hair stand up on end followed immediately after by a loud crack of thunder you felt shake your very bones. A thrill that outmatched everything in comparison, short to possibly a great orgasm.

Jamie grinned to himself. To be fucked during a lightning storm, now there was an idea…

As Jamie’s eye followed the dark clouds to where the sky touched the ocean he was met with something he hadn’t been expecting at all. There, hiding in the shadows of the clouds was an undeniable lump of green and brown that could be nothing else than an island. A large island, if Jamie could see it so clearly with how far away they were.

“Mako! Fuck!” Jamie pushed himself off the wall and away from the porthole, using his momentum to throw himself onto Mako’s back, his arms and head draped over his shoulder. Mako jumped and violently jerked his hand back to grab Jamie, but Jamie’s excitement made him too quick and he smoothly slid over to the opposite side of Mako. “Mako!” He said again, a grin on his face so wide it made his cheeks ache. “Mate, ya gotta look out the port! I spotted land!”

That was enough to give Mako pause, his hand stopped halfway from grabbing Jamie by the face and shaking him around like a doll.

“Land?” He repeated slowly, his deep voice reasonably skeptical.

“Yes! Get the shit outta your ears an’ listen to me!” Jamie wrapped his arms around Mako’s thick arm and started pulling him towards the porthole in short tugs, not getting the larger man to move an inch no matter how hard he tried.

Mako stood and rushed to the window faster than Jamie had ever seen him move, save for their very first meeting. In his own excitement he pushed the cover away too aggressively and the whole thing snapped off the wall and into Mako’s hand; Jamie giggled as Mako tossed it carelessly to the floor in favor of looking out the window.

Jamie could hear Mako mutter something incomprehensible. It could have been some other language, but Jamie couldn’t be sure. With a long sigh Mako turned away from the porthole to look at Jamie. With the spotlight suddenly back on him again, Jamie grinned and clasped his hands together.

“Well?” Jamie asked, taking a step forward. “Has the confinement got to me or is that land up ahead.”

The nod Mako gave him was enough reason for Jamie to holler and jump around, throwing his fists up into the air triumphantly. “Yes! Fuck yes! Hell fuckin’ fucker fuck tit-fuckin’  _ yes _ !” Jamie practically screamed.

“Hey!” Only Mako’s booming voice could have caught Jamie’s attention enough to make him focus again. “Shut up! Unless you want the entire ship to know you’re breaking out.”

“Right.” Jamie stopped his jumping. “Yeah, okay. Good point there.” Jamie winked at Mako, earning him an eye roll in return. It wasn’t a punch in the face, so Jamie chalked that one up as a victory. “This is perfect, though! Ya see them clouds out there too?”

“Yeah.” Mako glanced over his shoulder back at the porthole, then forward again to look at Jamie. He didn’t need to say anything else, the blond understood his follow up question anyway. So what?

“Well, that’s comin’ our way to deliver one whoppin’ hell of a storm. Once it hits, all the men up top gonna secure everything down if they haven’t started too already an’ then get below to wait it out. Ain’t no point tryin’ to go against nature when it wants to fuck ya that badly. Shit will be loud, an’ what better distraction to make our escape in?” Jamie threw his arms open in a grand gesture as he revealed his plan.

Mako didn’t look impressed.

“You want us to leave in the middle of a storm, on a tiny boat?” He clarified, speaking slowly like Jamie was an idiot.

Jamie’s grin turned into a snarl, and his skin prickled with annoyance. “Think ‘bout it. Whether we blow this door open with the stash of powder or ya bust it open it’s gonna make a big sound, normally alertin’ everyone to what we’re up to. But with all the thunder crashin’ ‘round no one will be able to notice the difference! An’ if the cots an’ all that are a room over like we think they are then almost no one will be there to stop us, not to mention there won’t be nobody up top!”

Jamie could see Mako working through his plan, his dark eyebrows furrowed together as he concentrated. Finally his eyes focused back on to Jamie.

“Fine. But if we drown I’m blaming you.” Mako pointed one of his big fingers at Jamie accusingly.

“Alright by me, mate.” Jamie grinned. “Now help me with a couple of things before the storm hits. We need to get our affairs in order, don’t we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I wanted to do the jailbreak in this chapter but as I started writing it kind of got away from me and I didn't want to go way over my word count. I'm thinking this work will probably be longer than I expected, and I hope these chapters aren't boring anyone with their lack of action! If they are, or if you have any other opinions about this story so far PLEASE let me know! I'd love to hear from you all :)  
> As usual, my tumblr is moonshotsandstarsocks so come by and say hi or browse my blog, it's mostly overwatch shipping stuff


	8. Into the Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have to choose between what you want and what you need

The storm grew closer and closer with every passing hour. The two men could hear all the sailors above them furiously working to make sure everything was stowed away and tied down to weather the storm properly. Jamie smiled in a petty satisfaction that their storage was probably an issue thanks to him and Mako taking up one of the holds. 

With the porthole permanently open Jamie and Mako could see the approaching storm as well as feel it. The way the waves grew bigger and faster to beat against the boat and make it sway more than usual, how the clouds brought with them a pouring rain that obscured the landscape underneath it into a grey blur.

Jamie would glance at Mako occasionally, finding him fixed on staring outside even though his eyes looked like they were seeing something a million miles away. Jamie had lived long enough to recognize wistful longing when he saw it. Jamie reached up to pat Mako’s arm, surprised and relieved that Mako didn’t do anything in retaliation for it. “Don’t worry,” Jamie said softly. “We’re gonna get out of here soon.”

It wouldn’t be long now until the storm hit the boat, and Jamie and Mako were getting ready. Part of Jamie’s preparation had been to craft himself something useful. He decided upon using the gunpowder, ripping up cloth and cutting some rope to fashion secure sacks of gunpowder which he stuffed into his pockets. No use in the pouring rain, but it wouldn’t be raining forever. Mako had a similar idea, though his was arguably more practical. From the broken metal rim of one of the barrels Mako further bent and twisted it until it resembled a gigantic fishing hook. Deadly, efficient, cruel. It made Jamie tingle just looking at Mako with it in his hand.

“Now we gotta time this right with the thunder.” Jamie instructed as Mako stood in front of the door. They had previously agreed that using Mako’s brute strength was the best way to open it. “The breakin’ wood should sound like nothin’ in comparison. Jus’ be ready in case there are people outside on guard. Best case scenario is there ain’t nobody around, but if luck liked us neither of us would be here, right?”

Mako didn’t think that when Jamie jabbed his side with his elbow that it made the joke any funnier.

The sound of rain washing over the boat was the first tip that the storm had arrived. The sheet of water that had been traveling for miles was finally upon them. From the permanently open porthole the cold ocean breeze blew in hard, making Jamie shiver like ice had ran down his back. Time passed but still not thunder, and both of them were starting to grow agitated by holding themselves in a constant ready position. Jamison alternated from foot to foot his fingers twitching.

Wait for it, he had to remind himself.

A bright flash followed immediately by a loud crack of thunder, shaking the very ship with its proximity. Both Jamie and Mako jumped. 

“Tits!” Jamie snapped, looking back over his shoulder at the porthole. “Missed it. Alright big guy, as soon as you see the next flash ya gotta break that door right away.”

“I know.” Mako growled, clenching his fist and pulling it back like some kind of spring coiled tight. Even Mako was getting more and more on edge as the anticipation grew, normally he wouldn’t bother with such pointless replies. No doubt the confinement was reaching its boiling point within the larger man when they were so close to escape. Jamie didn’t envy the door.

A flash, the room went white. The thunder was even louder, shaking Jamie’s whole body all the way down to his brain which he could have sworn was rattling against his skull. Jamie had to squint as the light faded, no evidence it had even happened past the lingering ringing in his ears.

The door was split in half from the middle out, Mako’s fist still extended and passed the point where the door used to be. Some dust and small fragments of wood stuck to his arm hair. For e moment everything was still. Jamie held his breath and waited for the guards to come.

But no one came.

The sound Jamie made was somewhere between a sigh of relief and giddy laughter, his stomach spasming strangely as his body tried to attempt both at once.

“Holy shit! Holy shit!” Jamie whispered, grinning widely at Mako who slowly drew his hand back in, looking down at it and brushing away the debris. “Mako!” Jaime’s voice cracked as he tried to whisper and scream at the same time, but he didn’t care in the slightest. Seeing the vast expanse of room out in front of them felt like he was truly able to breathe for the first time.

Jamie threw himself at his large companion, hugging him tightly even when Jamie couldn’t get his arms anywhere close to wrapping around Mako completely. Mako was startled by the reaction and quickly shoved Jamie off of him and back a couple feet. It didn’t put a damper on the blond’s mood as he lept forward out of the room and into the open. Jamie threw his arms out and spun around. Thunder continued to shake the ship from outside.

Mako stepped out of the room, having to angle his body slightly sideways in order to fit his massive body through the now empty doorframe. Jamie wondered if stepping on the broken pieces of wood hurt since Mako didn’t seem to be wearing any shoes. Then again, Mako didn’t seem to be the type of person who felt pain and more like the type who inflicted it.

The strong wind from outside blew down the stairs and under the deck, casting a damp chill through the whole air. Jamie slowly stepped forward towards the stairs, keeping a crouched posture as his head slowly turned from side to side. Like he had predicted, the crew were all tucked away somewhere to wait out the storm. With long and careful strides Jamie crossed the way to the stairs, looking back at Mako and ushering him to join him by the stairs.

Mako tried creeping along like Junkrat did, but his weight and size made such careful and flowing movements tougher. The floorboards creaked with every step he took, no matter how slow Mako brought his foot down against the floor. Jamie watched the scene with a look of disbelief, his hands coming up to drag down over his face. 

“Be adorable some other time, ya fuckin’ behemoth! Move your ass!” He hissed, his words lost to Mako over another roll of thunder but the frantic waving of his hand was a clear message.

“In case they got some sap up there who drew the short stick, ya gotta go first.” Jamie told Mako as he stepped aside to clear a path for the larger ma to make the climb up to the deck. Mako looked up, able to see the dark clouds and rain pouring down. The storm looked so bad Mako thought that if Jamie tried stepping out there he would just blow away.

Spinning the hook around in his hand Mako prepared for his ascent up the stairs with a roll of his shoulders and turning his head from side to side to crack the joints in his neck. One deep breath in, one slow breath out. Mako ran up the stairs, his size already dashing any hope for subtlety. Once outside the rain hit him hard, washing over him like a heavy wave. Mako had to squint to try and see anything around him, but even with the thick mist and heavy winds there didn’t seem to be anyone up on deck besides him. Mako turned his head to look down the stairs to the deck below, Jamie’s head peeking up at him curiously. This time, Mako was the one to reach out and gesture Jamie to follow. 

Giddy giggling could barely be heard over the crashing waves as Jamie made his way to the stairs, happily hopping from one step to the next. He jumped up onto the deck proudly, thrusting his chest out and grinning. Until a sheet of rain blew through and soaked Jamie from head to foot. It was almost pathetic looking how his once spiky hair was now plastered down onto his skull and down around his face. Mako chuckled, a small smirk on his face.

“Go shove it.” Jamie retorted, slicking his hair back with a quick brush of his hand. Like Mako he had difficulty seeing anything in the storm, his eyes scanning over the deck until he found what he was looking for.

Walking to the side of the ship was a labor. Like Mako had jokingly predicted the harsh wind easily pushed and pulled at Jamie’s skinny frame, making his steps go in all directions even as he just tried to move forward. The intense rocking of the ship was hardly any help either. Large waves pitched the vessel back and forth, some of the biggest ones breaching the side of the ship and spilling over onto the deck. The cold sea water brushed against Mako’s feet and sent chills up his spine. The waters of his home were always warm. It never stormed like this either. Maybe out on the edges of the island but tucked away Mako’s village was only graced by gentle rainfall and sunshine.

His village… what was left of it now? Mako had no idea how many were left to pick up the pieces after the slaughter that occurred when the white men came and stole Mako away with others, both men and women alike. The screaming, the smell of smoke, gunfire.

A flash of lightning and a poorly timed clap of thunder and suddenly Mako was back at his village, the sounds of the white men’s guns still ringing in his ears. There was a painful lurch in Mako’s heart and for a moment his whole body ran cold. Mako’s eyes were side open but he felt disoriented, unable to get his bearings. The world spun around him like he was standing still and the earth was turning in every direction. Mako pressed a hand to his head and rubbed his forehead to try and ease away the distortion he was feeling. He could hear the screams of his people, the neighbors he’s known all his life begging the gods not to let them die as soldiers lined up their shots. Mako couldn’t breathe.

Distracted by his memories Mako didn’t even notice Jamie approach him until he was standing right in front of him. Skinny hands reached up and cupped Mako’s cheeks, pulling his face down until Mako was forced to look at Jamie. Orange eyes burned in the darkness of the storm and gave Mako something to focus on. The screaming quieted and the rush of the sea returned. 

Jamie nodded and pat Mako’s cheek. “I get like that sometime too. Not the time or place, big guy.” Jamie pulled away and ran off to the side of the deck. Mako followed him with his eyes and watched Jamie approach some sort of contraption placed right at the side of the boat where the dingey hung off of.

Jamie’s fingers slipped as he tried to get a solid grip on the handle of the crank, turning it one, two times before he needed to stop for a break. Whoever made this expected the world’s strongest man to be available to turn it, and the dinghy was maybe only a foot lower from where it began. “Christ.” Jamie sighed as he started again. If he used his body weight, it helped to move the crank around a little faster.

Mako heard it first. Over the wind and crashing of the ocean waves there was shouting coming down from below the deck. It started small, just maybe a few men of the crew, but it grew in numbers until it could be distinctly heard and most of the ship was now disturbed. Mako only needed one guess to figure out what they were discussing. Mako held on to his hook tightly, raising it slightly as he got into a ready position. Jamison saw Mako from across the deck and quickly understood what was happening. At a more desperate pace Jamie continued to crank the dinghy lower into the water, throwing his body around to try and make the process go faster.

The shouting was growing louder and closer. The only reason they hadn’t been up on the deck already meant they were stocking up for a fight. They were expecting resistance, and they sure as hell were about to get it. The corner of Mako’s lip curled up into a snarl as he waited for the crew to arrive, the drops of rain sliding down his poised body as Mako counted the seconds. The rain would wash away their blood before their dead bodies would hit the floor, Mako would make sure of it. Cruel work was more satisfying, but a faster approach worked better against larger numbers.

“Mako!” Jamie’s pleading cry cut through the anticipation of battle. Mako turned his head to see his partner already in the dinghy, the small boat no longer visible as it was lowered past the railing of the ship. “It’s now or never!”

Mako looked between Jamie and the stairs where he could hear the voices grow louder as the crew approached the stairs. He could take them. He wasn’t prepared last time, he didn’t know what to expect. This time he did know what he was facing. It didn’t matter how many of them there were, he was bigger and stronger. A perfect specimen for destruction. He just  _ needed a chance.  _ Mako could feel the pull towards both Jamie and the men below the deck, tugging at him equally until Mako split in half right down the middle. 

“Mako!”

Holding the hook so tightly his hand was shaking, Mako cast one last longing look at the stairs before turning and running towards Jamie. Bare feet slid against wet wood and Mako grabbed the railing to throw himself over the edge, his momentum bringing his heavy body up into a high arch. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mate, ya can’t-”

Mako came crashing down into the dinghy. For a moment the boat jostled and swayed dangerously off the side of the ship. Mako and Jamie looked at each other, dawning realization hitting them both at the exact same time. There was a sound of splintering wood and snapping rope as the dinghy was forcefully detached from the ship and the two men went hurtling down into the raging ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH  
> Finals are over and i only wanted to die most of the time. College is important but jfc. ANYWAY as soon as I could start writing again I did, and I plan on getting a bunch of chapters cranked out over my break! I won't release them as soon as i finish like i normally do because I want to update this fic when classes start up again. If writing gods are good hopefully that will be a lot of chapters queued up!  
> I kind of refused to let myself sleep until I finished writing this chapter (it's 2:14am lmao) so I'm sorry for any mistakes in editing! Let me know if anything is weird, or let me know about your thoughts in general! :)


	9. Land Ho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teamwork is key

Falling down the side of the boat was something that seemed to go by slow and fast all at once. As they fell Jamison remembered the way he clung to the sides of the dinghy so tight it hurt his fingers, how the side of the ship seemed endless as the fell alongside it. He remembered looking to Mako and seeing the same terrified expression as they both screamed against the wind. 

Hitting the water felt the exact same as if they had hit solid ground. The dinghy shook upon impact with the ocean and it sent a sharp pain through Jamie’s body from his toes all the way up to the tip of his head. His body jolted from the shock of it, and the movement was enough to upset the dinghy, flipping over and turning upside down in the turbulent water. They were both submerged before either had a chance to scream.

Jamie was back into the darkness, the ocean current and waves throwing him around like a ragdoll. Jamie helplessly moved his arms and legs but he never seemed to move, every direction seemed as fathomless as the last. There was no light, no way to tell what was up. The saltwater stung Jamie’s eyes as he tried to keep them open to get some semblance of where he was. Jamie’s body rose slowly as he was sucked into the vacuum of a new wave, helpless against its pull. For a brief moment as the wave swelled Jamie was able to bring his head above the surface, sucking in as much air as possible but still getting a mouthful of water along with it. Jamie’s body shook as he tried to cough it up, gagging on the very air he so desperately needed, unaware that the wave was finished growing and now on the move. Jamie opened his eyes just in time to see the side of the ship rapidly growing closer.

“Fuck!” Jamie croaked, throwing his hands out in front of himself to try and take some of the impact. But the wave was much stronger and even though Jamie managed to brace his hands against the ship the water forced him forward and his head cracked against the hard wood of the ship.

There was no pain from the collision, no jarring ache in the base of his skull like many previous head wounds incurred. No, instead Jamie’s body suddenly felt warm, and his arms and legs stopped moving. The wave crashed back down into the sea, dragging Jamie’s limp body down with it. His body rolled with the wave, tumbling deeper into the ocean. Jamie could feel the way his limp body sunk further down. He should be fighting this; jamie always promised himself that when he went down he would go down kicking and screaming. But there was no air in his lungs left to scream with, and his muscles too weak and cold to even move. Everything was fuzzy.

Looking up to the surface Jamie could make out the swelling of the waves and the flashes of lightning that shot across the sky. A few bubbles rolled off Jamie’s skin and floated upwards, following an erratic yet almost straight line. 

It was beautiful.

He was ready.

Jamie closed his eyes as he felt his body begin to rise up again, no doubt taken by another large wave. It didn’t matter, nothing could hurt him anymore. The world was fading away around him with each passing second.

Jamie broke the surface more violently than the first time, but he could still feel his body collide into the wood of the ship.

But then he stayed there. He didn’t sink back down into the water again. Or maybe he had, and Jamie could no longer feel any outward sensations. He was finally dying. Took the ocean long enough to finish the job.

Jamie rested peacefully; until a large hand swung down and beat him right in his stomach. Jamie’s body curled in and his eyes shot open, his body being stunned back to life. Nausea waved over Jamie and as soon as the hand pulled away Jamie turned on his side and heaved, dumping what had to have been gallons of water from his stomach onto the floor of the ship. 

Except it wasn’t the ship, it was the dinghy. Perfectly upright and floating in the water, the waves jostling it back and forth but it stayed true. Jamie hadn’t done that, and nature was nowhere near as merciful as to do it itself. His thoughts were distracted as more water rose up and demanded to be let out of Jamie’s body, something he was happy to oblige. 

It was almost like drowning a second time, except there was so much water going out instead of in that it made it hard to catch his breath. Jamie’s body shook as it tried to expel as much sea water as possible. Jamie was fairly certain he didn’t even drink as much as what was coming up. 

Weak arms slowly supported Jamie as he sat himself up, his head spinning and his vision still black around the edges. Closing his eyes helped. Slow breath in, slow breath out. The cool rain still poured down and felt refreshing and clean. He was okay.

Jamie’s stomach churned again and this time Jamie was able to get his head over the edge of the dinghy. How could there be even a drop of water still felt in his body?

An acrid smell and the discolored chunks now floating in the ocean told Jamie is was not in fact sea water but instead the meal he and Mako had yesterday.

Delightful.

A violent shaking of the dinghy threw Jamie’s all but limp body back down to the floor. Jamie protested the movement with a low groan, his throat burning too much to really make any other kind of sound. Jamie was so tired, he just wanted to be dry and warm and somewhere he could curl up into a ball and sleep. If he closed his eyes again the sounds of the ocean and wind were almost soothing.

Then the laughter started. Deep, stomach rumbling laughter that the devil himself couldn’t outdo. It rang out clear in the chaos of the storm and resonated with Jamie down to his bones. It was worth opening his eyes, even if his eyelids felt heavier than a bag of rocks. Jamie lifted his head from the floor just as a strike of lightning lit up the sky.

Amidst the storm and the wind stood Mako, one foot on the floor of the ship while the other was perched on the edge, making the dinghy sway dangerously. Mako didn’t seem to be afraid, in fact manically happy was about the best way to describe it. A wide grin was spread across his face as Mako screamed and laughed at the sky, his arms thrown open as if to decree some kind of challenge. He was saying something too, but the sounds were all jumbled together incomprehensibly no matter how hard Jamie tried to listen.

Mako was in his element. He looked dangerous and awe inspiring at the exact same time. It was the most incredible thing Jamie had ever seen in his life.

Exhaustion forced Jamie to drop his head to the ground with a dull thud. It looked like Mako had a solid handle on everything. He looked like he was on top of the world while Jamie was feeling like the equivalent of wet garbage. So Jamie made the executive decision that he would be sitting out on whatever the hell was currently going on. 

Even though everything around him looked exciting and would normally work Jamie up into a hurricane of energy, it was like the very life had been sapped out of his body. It was hard enough to keep his eyes open, something Jamie was now giving up on for the third time. If he could just rest for a few minutes, then he could get involved. Just… not right now.

Without fully meaning to, Jamie slipped into a deep and dreamless slumber.

\-----

Mako was gasping for breath as he slowly trudged his way to shore. His feet sunk deep within the sand with every step and it made it a burden to lift his foot high enough to get out of it. It was like the ocean was still trying to drag him down into the depths.

Not today.

Mako timed his pulling with the waves, finding that it was the easiest way to pull the dinghy up once the water grew too shallow. Exhaustion clung to his muscles, each movement feeling like it would be his last. But he wouldn’t give up yet, not when he was slow close. 

With a long groan Mako forced the dinghy up onto the sand, safe enough from the pull of the tide. Done. Mako sighed and let himself fall to the sand, first down on his knees then completely until he was laying on his stomach with his head tilted to the side so he could breathe. The storm had ended a long time ago, and now the sand was dry and warm from the sun’s rays.

And what a storm it had been, larger than anything Mako had seen in years. It had been more than a miracle that they survived the whole thing without being struck by lightning or drowning. Almost drowning didn’t count. Finding Jamie in the darkness of the ocean during the chaos of everything else going on was sheer luck. Throughout the whole search Mako kept reminding himself what a stupid idea it was to go after someone he barely knew and risking his own life in the process. Yet Mako had dived down after Jamie anyway, finding the skinny kid as pale as death and slowly sinking deeper down into the ocean. He was so skinny it didn’t even feel like he was dragging anything back up to the surface.

The winds from the storm were harsh, but ultimately it worked in their favor, pulling the dinghy closer to the shore while simultaneously pushing the ship further out. By the time the storm passed Mako could no longer see the ship anywhere in sight. Maybe it sunk, or maybe they had the common sense to turn around and head back to wherever they came from. Mako hoped for the former.

Coughing sounds erupted from the dinghy, signaling that Jamie was now awake. Mako groaned; if he would have known Jamie was going to wake up so soon he would have treasured his moment of peace and silence rather than dwell on everything that had just happened. 

Jamie crawled out of the dinghy and flopped over the side gracelessly into the sand. “Fuck,” Jamie breathed, his voice raspy and weak. Even just uttering one word sent him into a fit of coughing, his whole body jerking with each one. He clutched his chest in pain and let out a string of hoarse curses.

“Shut up,” Mako sighed. “Just relax and it’ll go away eventually.”

Jamie peeked his head up, looking at Mako. his eyes were red and not entirely focused. Mako rolled his own eyes and sat up slowly. “If you move so help me I’ll throw you back out into the ocean.” He warned, pointing at Jamie. When Jamie nodded he started off towards the trees that surrounded the edges of the beach. Like he hoped coconuts had fallen from the top and to the ground, a few of them fresh enough to be safe. Mako took two and walked back to Jamie who had managed to sit himself up. Mako sat down beside him tossing over a coconut to Jamie as he cracked open his own in his other hand.

Jamie awkwardly fumbled around with the coconut before securely catching it and safely pressing it to his chest. Once it was firmly in his grasp Jamie peeked down to look at what exactly he had just caught. It was round… ish, and green. When Jamie shook it he could hear something slosh around inside. Looking over at Mako who was holding it up to his mouth and drinking Jamie could infer that it was some kind of drink. But how did drinks grow from trees? Those questions could be asked later when his throat wasn’t burning like a fire.

Jamie placed both his hands on opposite ends of the coconut and squeezed. And squeezed. And then continued to squeeze. Jamie let out a puff of air as the coconut fell into his lap and his arms uselessly at his sides. Mako made it look so easy.

“Really?” Came Mako’s voice, and when Jamie looked over he saw Mako looking right back at him with a small smirk on his face.

Jamie’s ears burned and he quickly picked up the coconut again. “It’s hard! I dunno how you do this!” 

“I told you to shut up. Here.” Mako held his hand out to Jamie.

If this was going to be held over him Jamie promised to choke Mako in his sleep. Reluctantly he handed over the coconut to Mako, trying not to focus on how it could comfortably fit in his palm. And then Mako clenched his hand tightly around the coconut and it cracked easily.

_ Hot. _

Jamie grunted and snagged the coconut back from Mako, bringing it up to his lips where it had split open. It was sweet, warm, and a little thick, but it felt like heaven as it cooled his throat. Jamie didn’t stop drinking until every drop was drained and the coconut didn’t give him any more no matter how far back he tilted it.

With a gasp Jamie dropped the coconut beside him, licking his lips to catch any stray drops that missed his mouth. “What was that?” Even speaking was easier now.

“Coconut.” Mako answered.

“Right… How’d ya know there was stuff inside?”

“Because,” Mako paused and Jamie had half a mind to smack him into talking again. “This is my home.”

Jamie blinked. “I’m sorry mate, what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a pre-christmas update!! And it's my birthday, so this is my birthday gift to you all!! Thank you to everyone who has messaged me or left comments, it truly means the world to me and I read each one (over and over)! Hopefully this chapter turned out alright :)


	10. Punchline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're off the ship and free at last. Now all they have to do is find a mythical city and get rich. How hard can that be?

“No,” Jamison circled around Mako for the fifth time, his path creating the beginning of a circular trench around Mako. “No, no, no.” Jamie’s finger, which he had been shaking was brought down to point right at Mako’s face. “You’re tellin’ me that of all the places we washed up we jus’  _ happen  _ to be where ya hail from. Now don’t get me wrong, you’re obviously… somethin’. But what are the odds?”

Mako shrugged, not caring about Jamie’s suspicion. “I know these beaches and trees better than anything else. We are on my island.”

“Right.” Jamie scratched his head, sand falling from his hair and down on to his shoulders. “Well now what? Ain’t we gotta find some mystical place covered in gold? Maybe it’s jus’ me, but this sure doesn’t look like fuckin’ gold to me!” Jamie’s voice escalated as he spoke until he was screaming. He kicked the sand, bits stuck together flying around in every direction. “This looks like fuckin’ nothin’! No gold, no fancy city, no fuckin’ jewels rainin’ down from the sky! Nothin’!”

Mako was more than used to Jamie’s temper tantrums and knew it was best to let it simply run its course. His bouts of anger would come and go randomly and sometimes without reason but they always ended the same; Jamie would run out of steam, tire out, and fall quiet. Maybe cry a little. He was the most expressive person Mako had ever seen, and it might have been an endearing trait if not for the capriciousness in which it all came. As Jamie kicked and screamed Mako stood and went to the boat. Tired muscles pulled it out from the shore and further on to land until it was right underneath one of the coconut trees. If, by some reason, they would ever need the dinghy again it would do them no good swept up into the sea after high tide. It was in decent shape considering the storm it weathered, no leaks. A little unstable in structure, but good enough. Mako had his improvised hook resting at the bottom of the dinghy. He reached down to grab it, tucking it against his side and his skirt. He couldn’t think of a reason it would really be needed, but it was welcome security. 

Halfway through whatever rant he was going on, Jamie gasped. The sudden stop got Mako’s attention, and he turned his head to see Jamie patting himself down and digging his hand in his pockets.

“Fuck,” Jamie muttered under his breath, moving from pocket to pocket. “No, not now!”

Mako caved. “What are you doing?”

“The map! The bloody map that was the whole fuckin’ reason I’m out here! I can’t… I can’t...” Jamie turned out his pockets, revealing nothing but some sand and the small bags of gunpowder he had stolen from the ship.

Jamie fell quiet, and Mako could see the dawning realization on Jamie’s face. His mouth turned down, his lower lip trembling. Once frantic hands slowly lowered to his sides. Jamie stood there in silence, almost completely still. Mako heard a small sniff.

“Okay,” Mako began. “Don’t… just take it easy.”

“I’m gonna die out here.” Jamie mumbled, letting himself to fall back to sit down on the soft sand. “All cause I wanted to get rich an’ rub it in everyone’s faces? Was that too much to ask? Was it?”

Jamie punched and kicked at the sand to try and get out his anger but it did little to help and only succeeded at getting more sand to fly around. That seemed to be the only thing Jamie was capable of doing since they came ashore.

“Okay, calm down.” Mako grunted, making his way over to where Jamison was still abusing the beach. When his words garnered no reaction from the smaller man Mako lifted his foot and easily kicked Jamie hard enough in his side that it knocked him over. 

“Oi!” Jamison swung his own leg in retaliation, landing a weak kick to Mako’s ankle as he sat back up. “Fuck ya doin’? I ain’t doin’ nothin’ to ya!”

“We don’t need the stupid map.”

A scoff. “Right, cause another mythical treasure map is jus’ gonna pop right outta your shitter, is that it?”

That didn’t even deserve a proper response. Mako gestured around them. “It’s here.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow and looked around, seeing nothing but clear skies, warm beach, and lush forest.

_ Disgusting. _

“Ya been drinkin’ the seawater a lil’ there, mate?”

Mako rolled his eyes and reached down, his hand able to wrap all the way around Jamie’s skinny arm before hoisting him back onto his feet and letting go. “I told you I would take you there, and I will. I know where it is because my village was not far away from the place you want to go.” Mako explained as Jamie stumbled to reclaim his sudden footing.

_ Oh.  _ “Oh! Oh shit!” Jamie was grinning now, snapping back to his energetic personality. “Holy shit! Who knew fallin’ outta the ship an into some shitty mini-boat was the luckiest thing to ever happen to us!” Jamie laughed and slapped Mako on the shoulder. “Man, it’s like we were destined to get locked up together, eh buddy?”

“Mako.”

“Eh, same thing. Now,” Jamie put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. He grinned up at Mako and his bright eyes looked like fire in the shining sun. “Take me to my gold!”

\-----

“Whoa, fuck!” Mako stopped walking as he heard Jamie’s loud exclamation behind him followed by the sound of him tripping and falling on his face for what had to have been the third time. When Mako turned around he was just in time to see Jamie struggling to free his foot from a raised root sticking out of the ground.

“I told you to watch where you were going.” Mako sighed. This was the last thing they needed on their journey to the city. From where they started at the beach it was already a three day trip and all these unnecessary stops were only adding to the time it would take to get there.

“Yeah, ya told me a bunch of things! Makin’ my head spin with all these dumb rules.”

“Do you even remember any of them?”

“Watch where I was steppin’,” That answer came quick. Jamie paused to consider the other ones as he finally wrenched his foot free and stood. “Uh, somethin’ ‘bout leavin’ colorful things alone, no drinkin’ random puddles of water… don’t make lots of sound…”

“And stay close to me.” Mako finished, turning his back to Jamie to resume walking. “If you wander off and get lost I’m not going to come looking for you.”

Jamie frowned and hopped over obstacles as he ran to catch up with Mako. “What makes ya think I’m gonna perish then, eh? Maybe I’ll become some kinda jungle man like ya did! Get myself all those fancy scribbles an’ whatnot.”

“Moko.” Mako corrected. “And you have to  _ earn  _ them. You’re an outsider, they won’t give any to you.”

“Oh.” Jamie fell silent. 

The two of them continued to trudge through the jungle together, this time Jamie kept a close eye on where he was stepping to avoid any more mishaps. They were able to make a fair bit of distance before the sun started to go down, the light shining between the canopy of trees fading away slowly. The forest slowly grew quiet. The deep greens and browns It was becoming hard to see, so much so that Jamie had to start squinting in order to see his way around. When Mako came to a stop Jamie bumped into him, stumbling back and catching himself on a nearby tree.

“What gives?” Jamie snapped, straightening up. He was tired of getting knocked around by Mako.

“We’ll get lost if we keep going in the dark. We stop here.”

“Don’t know the island as well as ya thought, eh big guy?” Jamie grinned. When Mako glared at him he lifted his hands up in surrender. “I’m jus’ havin’ a little bit of fun with ya, mate.”

Not amused, Mako only grunted and started looking at their surroundings. While his back was turned Jamie stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes at Mako. It was childish but oh so satisfying. Thankfully Mako was too busy to see it, he was too occupied breaking off low hanging branches off of trees. Jamie sat himself down on a large root and watched Mako work. The brute strength required to simply break off tree branches, thick ones at that, was enough to get a man downright giddy. One blond man in particular.

“What did ya do in your village?” Jamie called out to Mako.

Mako paused, his posture tensing up for only a brief moment that was nearly impossible to catch in the dark. But Jamie was watching Mako like a hawk and he noticed. “Ya don’t gotta tell me if ya don’t wanna.”

“I hunted. Fished too.”

“Yeah? We’re ya any good?”

Mako looked over his shoulder, a proud smirk turning up the corner of his mouth. “The best.” He replied.

“Yeah? Guess that ain’t surprisin’ at all, considerin’ your massive size. Betcha jus’ had to look at somethin’ all mean an’ they died right on the spot!”

Mako scoffed at Jamie’s imagination, but at the same time it was a little endearing. It reminded him of the children in his village, how they would all run up to him and cheer when he brought in his haul for the day. But Jamie was no child. “That’s not how that works.” He said simply. 

Jamie absentmindedly kicked around a small rock back and forth between his feet. “How’s it work, then?”

Mako turned and dropped a pile of broken branches into the center of the small clearing they resided in. “It’s diligence. Patience. You have to be willing to hunt your prey down to the ends of the earth if that’s what it takes.” Mako’s eyes finally fixed on Jamie. “It’s about dominance over nature to provide for the ones you love. There’s hardly anything more important.”

Those words felt too deliberate to be any kind of coincidence. Jamie felt his body go warm all the way down to his toes and he quickly averted his eyes from Mako’s intense stare. Did Mako know? Surely he couldn’t, Jamie was the master of subtlety when it came to matters of discretion such as burning lust. 

Thankfully Mako seemed to drop the subject as he crouched down in front of the pile of sticks. Jamie watched as he arranged them, and when they started to take on a familiar, tent like shape the blond gasped and jumped to his feet. 

“Are ya makin’ fire?” He asked, unable to contain the excitement bubbling up within him. Jamie started hopping in place and clapping his hands together. “Can I do it? Please?”

Mako looked up at Jamie and one thick eyebrow arched upwards into a disbelieving expression. “You can make fire?”

“Oh, mate, if ya were anyone else ya’d get a right good kick in the balls for insinuatin’ that I couldn’t!” Jamie dropped to his knees in front of the small pyramid of sticks. He grabbed the thinnest of them and started breaking them apart into even smaller bits, peeling off the bark as well until he was able to place a ball of kindling underneath the tent of sticks. From inside his pocket Jamie pulled out two rocks.

“Where did you get those?”

“Discovered ‘em the first time I fell over. It’s quartz, mate! Prime for sparks. Ya think I would jus’ let ‘em sit in the dirt an’ waste away their potential? No!” Jamie held one in each hand and brought them close to the kindling. He struck them together once, twice, beating them against each other at a rapid pace until they could both see sparks.

“Kindlin’ is a lil’ wetter than I’d like but with any luck we co- Yes!” Jamie threw his hands up in the air as the kindling caught the sparks and began to glow. Remembering the sitation Jamie dropped down to his stomach and brought his face close, gently blowing on the smoking twigs. Smoke billowed from the small kindling but Jamie was persistent. Mako was impressed by how the smoke didn’t seem to bother Jamie in the slightest as he continued to blow, and they were rewarded when it finally went up in flames. Jamie brought his head back quickly and was coughing with a smile.

“Jus’ feed it little sticks until it can burn the big stuff.” Jamie instructed as he added a stick himself.

Mako nodded his approval as he sat back, the warmth of even a small fire already pleasant. “Looks like you’re good for something after all.”

Jamie glanced over at Mako, his hand over his heart with a pretend expression of hurt. “How could ya say that? After all this time ya still don’t recognize my sparklin’ personality an’ impeccable sense of humor.”

“You haven’t told a good joke once.”

“Ya jus’ don’t listen!”

Jamie rambled through what felt like an endless list of jokes, all of which were dismissed with a simple shake of his head. After a moment of consideration Jamie turned to Mako.

“Wanna hear a dirty joke?” He grinned.

Mako sighed; so they had finally come to this. “Okay.”

“A pig fell in the mud. Wanna hear a clean joke?”

Mako looked over at Jamie, a small smile on his face. “Okay.”

“The pig took a bath.”

Mako threw his head back and laughed, his whole body shaking with the force of it. Jamie was in awe. It wasn’t like the laughing he had seen when they went overboard. This kind of laughter was less maniacal and more warm, a boisterous sound that could probably have been heard throughout the whole forest. Jamie puffed out his chest with pride.

“Animal jokes, then? That’s your game? Alright, I can work with that.” Jamie winked at Mako, who was starting to calm down but still plagued by the occasional chuckle.

Mako fixed his gaze on Jamie, and for the first time he didn’t feel afraid. The corners of Mako’s eyes had wrinkles when he smiled, and the fire casted a warm glow over all of Mako’s features.

“Jamie.”

Jamie licked his lips, his throat suddenly dry. “Yeah?”

“What do you call a monkey that fell into the fire?”

“Dunno, what?”

“Baboom.”

Right there, in front of God, the fire, and all the animals in the forest, Jamie fell in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How would Mako know any animal jokes? Who knows I just found that pun and it was perfect for Jamison so I fudged the realm of possibility a little bit >.>  
> SORRY for such a huge gap between chapters! Circumstances arose that didn't allow me to write for a long time but I'm back and I promise I haven't abandoned this fic! If I were to ever do so I'd let you guys know. But it's not happening so expect more from me in the future! And as always, please let me know what you think of the story! I'd love to get any kind of feedback, so leave a comment here or talk to me at moonshotsandstarsocks.tumblr.com :)


	11. Just Like That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's easy to tell what makes people different, but it's not so easy to find out how they're the same

Jamie shifted uncomfortably, a small groan leaving his lips. His body tore itself between waking up and falling back to sleep, but it was too late now and all of Jamie’s senses slowly came back to him. The first thing he felt was the cold. The humid air that felt so hot in the afternoon turned cold in the evening and now evidently that chill was still there in the mornings as well. The tip of Jamie’s nose was cold, and he turned his head to hide his face in the crook of his arm where his skin was warmer. Sounds from the forest echoed in the trees; birds that sounded so much more different than the gulls Jamie always tried snatching near the piers of his home.

Slowly Jamie uncurled himself from his sleeping position and stretched out his arms and legs. The stretch felt good and Jamie sustained the position for a few seconds before letting himself relax. Eyes still shut Jamie forced himself to sit up. Some of the ground, damp dirt and softened twigs, stuck to his bare skin. Groping blindly at himself Jamie cleared off the dirt, most likely leaving smudges in its absence.  

Jamie squinted his eyes open to start with, allowing them time to adjust to the light. The sun was still rising and hung low in the sky, the world still cast into dim shadows. Jamie tilted his head from side to side, his neck cracking in a series of satisfying pops. As Jamie looked around he found Mako tucked up against a tree, held in a sitting position that could have been convincing if not for his head bowed down and the rumbling snoring coming from his open mouth.

Jamie smiled to himself.  _ Adorable brute. _

Standing up was followed by a routine of stretching and more joint popping. His ankles, toes, wrists, fingers, and shoulders. A symphony of bodily sounds that has made many a passerby scrunch up their face in disgust when they went by his alley early in the morning. Jamie grinned at the memories. Let them look on with disgust and disdain, Jamie would have spit right in their faces if he had that much energy in the mornings.

Things would be different when he got back. When he  _ and Mako _ got back. The two of them would be richer than kings, practically shitting gold, and they’d finally be able to get the resources needed to take the world by storm.

The possibilities were nearly endless. They could obviously start in Jamie’s hometown. It might not have been exactly where the sailors had been from, the true identity of any crew was ambiguous at best with how many ports they travelled to, but Jamie would bet it was enough to sate Mako’s bloodlust for revenge at least a little. Maybe they would travel the coast then, go all across the beaches and sink every ship in sight. Jamie imagined Mako throwing that metal hook of his across the ocean, snagging some boat clean out of the water and dragging it back to shore with his strong arms. Then Jamie would light it up, maybe with matches maybe with a huge barrel of gunpowder. It couldn’t possibly be that difficult to catch fire to something made almost entirely of wood. Jamie continued the fantasy so far as to picture him and Mako dancing on the ashes and corpses from the boat. 

Maybe kiss a little.

“Hey.”

Jamie opened his eyes,  _ when had he closed them?  _ Mako was looking at him, head once slumped in sleep now raised and his sharp eyes focused on Jamie. Jamie cleared his throat. “Ya finally awake, mate? Can’t wait for your tired ass all afternoon, ya know.”

“You were giggling. You could wake the dead with that laugh of yours.” Mako rose to his feet with a grunt, one large hand reaching back to use the tree as support.

Mako didn’t like his laugh? That’s what that meant, right? What was wrong with it, was that something Jamie could ask?

_ He doesn’t like you. He’s going to ditch you as soon as he has the chance; kill you and use your ribs for new hooks. _

“Think we’ll get there today?” Jamie asked, putting his thoughts in the back of his mind. No sense dwelling on those kind of things in the light of day where everyone could see you.

“Two days. Three if you keep stumbling around like a child.”

“Hurtful.”

“Honest.” Mako supplied instead.

Jamie stuck his tongue out and blew air out of his mouth, imitating a crude sound. In retrospect it probably didn’t help his case to prove that he wasn’t a kid. Mako wasn’t impressed, at the very least.

“Come on.” He said instead, turning his back to Jamie to start walking deeper into the forest. 

“Wait, what ‘bout some grub first?” Jamie jogged after Mako, watching his feet as he maneuvered between the roots and rocks. “Don’t act like ya ain’t hungry, your gut is ‘bout the size of me so I know ya gotta be wastin’ away at this point.”

“We’ll find something later.”

“Mako!” Jamie groaned, dragging out the vowels in his name. “Mate! Please?What do I gotta do to get somethin’ to eat?”

“Shut up.”

“Great, so now I’m gonna starve.” Jamie huffed.

“Look,” Mako stopped in his tracks and rounded on Jamie, his large body looming over the skinny man. Jamie’s wary posture, hunched over to make himself smaller, only emphasized the size difference. Mako had his hands raised and they clenched the air next to Jamie’s head, like Mako was constantly flickering between the urges to restrain himself and smash Jamison’s head in like one of the coconuts on the beach. He wouldn’t be the first to toy with the idea of killing him, and Jamie doubted he’d be the last.

Mako continued speaking after a deep breath. “I am  _ trying  _ to help. I don’t have to, and you’re not making me want to. I will get you through this forest, I will take you to your gold, and you will take me back to the mainland. I can’t do that if you’re dead. So if you would  _ just trust me _ ,” another clench of his hands, this time into fists. “I will get you there safely.”

Jamie, kicking a nearby pebble and feeling very much like a scolded child with a parent one thread away from losing their temper, nodded and casted his eyes downward. “Yeah,” Jamie nodded and scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Yeah, I got ya there.”

“Good.” Mako’s back is to him once more and they’re walking again. Jamie followed along quietly, placing his hand on his stomach. It caved inwards like always.

Looking up at Mako Jamie tried to imagine what it would be like to be that big. To be full so many times that you grow up strong with weight to throw around for an advantage at any given time. The more Jamie thought about it the more their differences started coming to light. Where Jamie was bones Mako was muscle, Mako had thick long hair while Jamie would lose chucks scratching his head. Dark skin and pale skin, twisting tattooes and freckles, quiet and loud, strong and not so strong, smart and…

Mako was enjoying the silence of the walk at first. It gave him time to appreciate his surroundings, the nuances of a home he thought he would never get to return to again. The rich smell of the damp soil, the trills of the birds overhead, senses that stirred old memories deep within Mako’s mind that he once sought to lock away after his capture but could now reminisce without fear. But a lingering tension followed him as he expected Jamie to snap any moment.

Maybe the blond would start making unnecessary commentary, or start another line of bad jokes; Mako had encouraged him the night before so that was all fair game now. But nothing came. Jamie’s stumbling could easily be heard so Mako knew the other man hadn’t wandered off, but that only made the silence even more disturbing. His nerves developed into an anxious flutter in Mako’s chest as he waited and waited for Jamie to say something. Anything.

_ How did it come to Jamie’s voice being a constant in his life already? _

A small sniff. Something that would have gone completely unnoticed if Mako had not been straining for any noise to come from Jamie. Soon after the first there was another accompanied by a small sigh.

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose and withheld a groan. He hadn’t meant to hurt the kid’s feelings.

_ Gods above. _

“Why don’t we stop here for a bit.” Mako said, not looking back at Jamie. “I think I saw some kiekie a bit ago.”

“Some what?” Jamie’s voice is softer than normal, it twists unpleasantly in Mako’s stomach.

“Fruit. Don’t have time to hunt something and set up a fire.” A pause. “Maybe tonight.”

“Do whatever ya want, mate.” Jamie sits himself down on a nearby mossy boulder. “I’ll be here. Jus’ don’t get your fat ass lost ‘round here cause I have no fuckin’ clue where we are an’ then we’d both be right fucked.”

At least he was talking again. “I don’t get lost.” Mako assured him. “I’ll be right back.”

Mako had seen correctly, the tree was less than two hundred feet away from where he left Jamie. The kiekie grew around the tree, slowly growing and wrapping around the trunk in random directions, its climb entirely based upon where it could gather more sunlight. Mako inspected the fruit and selected enough to fit in his hand. Jamie probably didn’t need more than two and Mako reasoned that he himself could get the rest. Unlike Jamie, Mako had a physique to maintain. Mako chuckled to himself as he pat his belly and made his way back to Jamie. The blond liked to claim that Mako didn’t have a sense of humor; Mako decided he was just funny when no one else was around to witness it.

Two pieces of fruit were tossed Jamie’s way, jarring him out of his thoughts as he reacted quickly to catch them. A few seconds of desperate, midair fumbling later and Jamie held two pieces of fruit in his hands. The outside of them was a pinkish brown color and covered in a rough, almost spiky texture; Jamie rubbed his thumb carefully over the grooves. “Not sure I wanna bite into this.” He said, glancing up at Mako. Mako had four or five in his own hand. Greedy bastard.

“You eat the inside. Peel off the outside. It’s sweet.” Mako was already busy getting one open. Jamie sat up straight and tried to peek over Mako’s hands to see how he was doing it, but Mako’s large palms and fat fingers got in the way.

“Right.” Jamie muttered to himself. Setting one fruit in his lap Jamie worked on getting the first fruit open. His stomach growled loudly and his mouth watered, both of them sensing the food that they would soon be receiving. Jamie’s efforts were eventually rewarded by the reveal of pulp on the inside. Jamie smiled to himself and teared out a small portion, stuffing it into his mouth. It was sweet, not sweet like sugar but in a more subtle way. No matter the flavor, Jamie’s body sang over the fact he was actually eating something. With each swallowed bite Jamie could feel the way it slid down into his empty stomach and it was satisfying in a way Jamie couldn’t even accurately describe. After he was finished with the first one Jamie put a hand on his stomach for the second time, imagining that he could feel the slightest bump.

“You like it, huh?” Mako observed, sliding a chunk of the pulp into his mouth. “Thought you would.” A small smirk. “Rats are known to love it.”

It was like someone had poked a hole in him and all the joy had drained out of his body at once. Jamie couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why Mako’s comment rubbed him the wrong way, but it did. Anger shot through Jamie from his toes to his head, his body going hot with frustration. Jamie snagged the other piece of fruit from his lap and hurled it at Mako, hitting him square in the chest.

Mako, who had been both preoccupied by eating and unable to predict Jamie’s sudden mood swing, is incapable of doing anything but taking the hit. It didn’t hurt in the slightest, but the action itself was enough to make him mad. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He snapped at Jamie.

“I’m some rat to ya, am I?” Jamie snarled right back. “Some gutter-drowned rodent ya took pity on? Well fuck off! I don’t need none of that from anybody!”

“Calm down!” Mako threw one of his fruit right back at Jamie. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

Jamie caught it and this time hit Mako in the chest with it. “How else was I supposed to take it then?”

The fruit gets tossed violently back and forth between them, the kiekie leaving red marks against their skin from where the rough surface hit them. The Mako threw two of his fruits at once and it only escalated from there. Both men grew more intense with their efforts, Jamie standing up to better dodge and throw the kiekie at Mako. Mako didn’t bother moving, relying only on the strength of his throws to settle whatever score had just arisen. 

He didn’t mean for it to happen, he hadn’t been aiming for anything but Jamie in general, but one hard throw landed square in the middle of Jamie’s face. Mako winced as he watched Jamie stumble back, dropping the fruits he had in his arms to the ground below. Both of them froze, the tension coming to a peak as they became locked in a standoff waiting for the other to make a move.

But Jamie didn’t try to go for the fruit. He just stood there, jarred out of his fit of anger. Slowly, Jamie’s hand came up to touch his face. There were no cuts or blood but Mako didn’t doubt that the spot stung.

“I don’t get ya at all.” Jamie mumbled. He wasn’t looking at Mako, instead his eyes were trained on the ground where the fruits lay discarded and dirty. “Sometimes ya seem alright. Alright with what’s goin’ on, alright with me. But then ya get all mean. I dunno where it comes from, or what I do.” Jamie shrugged one shoulder. “Last night we swap jokes like good friends, an’ today ya can’t stand my laugh or my voice. I jus’... don’t get it.”

Mako doesn’t know what to say. He never imagined Jamie took anything he said to heart, he always thought of Jamie as something that needed to be reset every hour or so. A clean slate every time. He was stupid to think that was true.

“I… I didn’t know.” Was all Mako can say. 

“It’s like,” Jamie licked his lips. He made vague gestures with his hands and his mind struggled to find the right words. “It’s like your fightin’ yourself, like ya try to be two separate people but ya don’t know which one ya like best so ya jus’ decide to be both at random times.”

No one has ever said that about Mako before. Maybe people were just too scared to say something, or maybe they never bothered to pay attention to him long enough to notice. It made Mako wonder what else Jamie had picked up on this whole time.

_ Smart kid. _

“I guess I get like that sometimes.” It’s a lame excuse, but Mako can’t think of a better one. So instead he switched topics. “I wasn’t trying to call you a rat.”

Jamie peered up at Mako, his expression neutral but his eyes shining. “No?”

“No.” Mako gently tossed Jamie a fruit. The last one he hadn’t thrown yet, the outside unbeaten and free from dirt. “I don’t know what sets you off.”

Jamie turned the kiekie over in his hands, the rough texture rubbing against his palms becoming a grounding feeling. He’s not mad anymore. He doesn’t stay mad for many things, really. His emotions come and go like the wind, there and gone just as quick. It was inconvenient at the least and embarrassing at the most. Jamie didn’t used to care, but being around Mako made him care. He wasn’t likely to impress anyone when he had the emotional threshold of a child.

“Guess I get like that sometimes.” He echoed.

A pause. A silence stretched between them. It felt like a thread that got pulled tighter and tighter with each passing second to the point where it could break at any moment.

“I’m sorry.”

It’s Mako who says it first. It surprised Jamie and it surprised Mako too, especially since he meant it. Mako met Jamie’s eye and continued.

“I didn’t really think about what I was saying. I didn’t… well I meant it but I could have said it a lot better. So… Sorry.”

Jamie nodded. He underhanded the fruit back to Mako, who caught it easily. “Yeah, me too.” A small, crooked smile tugged at the corner of Jamie’s mouth. “Don’t go gettin’ all sappy on me now, what are ya, some fuckin’ baby?”

Mako smiled in return. That was more like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 3:30am, I have an exam tomorrow, this chapter got finished 2 days later than I wanted it to be, it's the longest chapter I've written so far and it pretty much has nothing but good old fashioned communication. Or rather, communication between two people who are really bad a communicating.  
> I'm not overly pleased with this chapter for the simple reason that I want to get to the action and plot just as much as the rest of you! I swear I'm not making empty promises when I say it'll happen soon! If there's any typos or weird phrasing please let me know, as I am very tired and can't catch any of them currently


	12. A Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Often times when someone is close to a goal they achieve some kind of obstacle. How they handle it can shape their future for better, or for worse.

“How ‘bout now?”

“Almost.”

“Yeah, sure, except ya said almost like five fuckin’ hours ago!”

“You asked me five minutes ago.”

“Well it feels like forever! We jus’ keep trudgin’ through the jungle, an’ ya know what I’ve been seein’? Trees! An’ when I’m tired of lookin’ at trees I can turn my head an’ see- oh look,  _ more fuckin’ trees _ !”

“Jamison,” Mako let out a long sigh. Had he ever sighed this much before, Mako couldn’t think of a time where he sighed more. “I wouldn’t have taken you this far into the forest just to kill you, so just trust that I’m getting you there.”

“Wow, ya really know how to put a bloke at ease.”

“Hold on just a little longer.”

A little longer turned out to be three hours. The forest thinned, making way for a large clearing right up against the mountains. In the center was a wide lake, filled by a roaring waterfall that spilled from in between two mountain peaks. The rushing water was heard over a mile away, and now that they were so close it was nearly deafening. 

“Brilliant!” Jamie walked up beside Mako, placing his hands on his hips as he surveyed the scene in front of them. “So… now what?”

Mako raised a hand, pointing to the waterfall.

Jamie followed Mako’s finger and snorted. “Okay, real pretty an’ whatnot. But seriously, mate, where we gonna go?”

“We go through it.”

“Don’t think there’s much but rocks back there, hate to break it to ya.”

“That’s on purpose. You’re supposed to think that.”

Jamie frowned. He looked back and forth between Mako and the waterfall. When Mako watched Jamie, he could practically see Jamie’s mind working everything out. Mako wasn’t sure if it was a testament to how analytical Jamie was, or how stupid he was. Slowly Jamie approached the lake, stopping right at the edge of it. 

Jamie looked over his shoulder back at Mako. “Kinda deep, don’t ya think?”

Mako slowly walked up next to Jamie, kicking a small rock into the lake and watching the water ripple. “It’s not far. We just swim under the waterfall and the cave is right there.”

“We can’t even walk all the way through?” Jamie sounded despondent. 

“So?”

Jamie huffed and crossed his arms, shifting his weight from foot to foot irregularly. He wouldn’t look up at Mako, he only glowered at the lake. “I jus’” Jamie’s voice faltered and he cleared his throat. “I jus’ like it when my feet touch at all.”

The remark stuck out as odd to Mako, and he glanced down to try and better understand what had Jamie so upset. But the blond didn’t say anything more. 

“You can’t swim.” It was obvious, Mako had no idea how he didn’t realize it before. Jamie was helpless in the water once they left the ship, unable to even keep himself afloat. Not to mention when Jamie told Mako about how the sailors had to fish him out of the ocean after he went overboard trying to make his escape after sneaking aboard.

Jamie sputtered which quickly changed into manic laughter. Jamie threw his head back, laughing so loud and hard it could not have been any more clear how forced it was.  “What? How fuckin’ dumb ya gotta be not to be able to swim? Fuck off, I know how!” He bats his hand at Mako, too far away to even hit him.

“You said you grew up by the sea. How don’t you know how to swim?”

“Sorry mate, I could have sworn I said this before.  _ Fuck off _ !”

This was a headache Mako wasn’t going to deal with right now. Comforting Jamie would only make the blond feel patronized and that would be a whole different argument altogether. Mako knew that the best way forward at the moment was to just forget the whole thing and move on. Jamie would talk on his own terms; he never had any trouble with it before. 

Mako waded out into the water, not caring as his skirt got wet. “The push from the waterfall might be hard to swim against.” Mako crouched down. “It’ll be faster if I get us through.”

Mako waited, almost wondering if Jamie was going to start yelling again, until he heard the shuffling of Jamie’s boots on the dirt and felt him jump up on his back. Mako brought his hands back around himself to lift Jamie up enough so he could link his arms around Mako’s neck.

“Totally could have done it myself.” Jamie’s voice was right against Mako’s ear, tone casal. “Jus’ faster for ya to do it, is all.”

“Choke me, and I’ll kill you.” Mako replied instead. Though that was highly unlikely, Jamie didn’t weigh anything.

Mako continued out farther into the lake. It was deep, but Mako was also tall. He was almost a quarter of the way across by the time he actually had to start swimming. The water was warm, yet Mako could feel the way Jamie shivered against him. Mako kept his comments to himself. Long, strong arms moving in broad strokes made short work of the distance let. As they approached the waterfall Mako hoped Jamie had the good sense to hold his breath before Mako dived under.

The roaring impact of the waterfall against the lake could be heard even underneath the surface, the force of it slightly pushing Mako down further. He had traveled this way before so this was something he was used to, knowing it wasn’t dangerous and it would all be over soon. Jamie, however gripped Mako tight as he hung on for dear life. Dulled fingernails dug into the flesh of Mako’s chest as they moved through the water, pressing against Mako harder and harder the longer they stayed submerged.

But it didn’t last long. Passing the waterfall left only a few more strokes before Mako angled himself up and kicked his legs to propel them both to the surface once more. Once they broke through the water Jamie finally relaxed and made a deep sound in the back of his throat as he sucked in as much air as he could at once. 

“See?” Jamie panted, his hold on Mako easing. “Nothin’ to worry about.”

From in front of him Jamie couldn’t see Mako rolling his eyes.

Mako trudged through the water to reach the bank, his slightly labored breathing echoing around against the cave walls. When he came to a stop he realized that he could feel Jamie still hanging off of him, his arms still wrapped around his neck and his long legs pressed against Mako’s sides to keep himself better secured.

They waited for a good five seconds before Jamie caught on.

“Whoops,” He said, giggling as he let go of Mako and slid down to the ground. “Sorry there, guess I was takin’ in the scenery.”

Mako looked around. He had crossed this way many times, and the appeal of the journey was lost long ago. But considering it now after passing through mindlessly so many times Mako could understand why Jamie had been distracted. The cave had been made thousands of years ago, the rugged rocks of the mountain made smooth from erosion and time. Stalactites and stalagmites jut out from the top and bottom of the cave, shining as water dripped down them. Light filtered in from the outside through the waterfall, casting the caves in a dull glow with light fractioning off in irregular shapes as it filtered through the water. A soft breeze blew through the caves from the other end, warm and smelling vaguely like damp soil. As long as they followed against the wind they were going in the right direction.

“It’s alright.” Mako said as he started walking.

Jamie happily trailed behind Mako, veering from the linear path Mako was making to study everything new they came across. He poked different rock structures, stood and waited under a stalactite until a drop of water landed square on his forehead (Mako pulled Jamie out from under it when he tried to reposition himself with his mouth hanging open), and when there was nothing new Jamie simply dragged his fingers against the cave wall, simply enjoying the feel of the damp rock brushing against his skin.

“Oh good, looks like we’re almost there.” Jamie announced.

A frown pulled down the corners of Mako’s lips. It was a short distance, but not that short. “We still have a ways to go.” He told Jamie.

“Nah, can’t ya see it?” Jamie jogged up next to Mako, pointing a long finger out ahead of them. “Look at the glow there, that’s gotta be sunlight.”

Mako had to squint in order to properly see what Jamie was looking at. Sure enough, barely peeking out around an upcoming corner, was a warm orange glow. 

That couldn’t be right, they were far too deep in the caves for the sunlight to get this far, even if it was the afternoon. It was confusing to say the least; or up until the point the glowing grew closer and long shadows stretched along the wall with it.

“Is that-”

A large hand grabbed Jamie by the arm and forced Jamie behind Mako. “Shut up and let me handle this.”

It was a total of four guards, each of them carrying a torch to light their way through the caves. Weaved grass and furs covered their bodies as protection, and the way the flames played against the moko on their faces made them look even more intimidating. Daggers dangled from pouches at their hips, but Mako still had almost a foot on the tallest.

Seeing Mako made them all pause, surprised to have actually caught something on their patrol. The one in the middle stepped forward, holding his chest out as he looked over Mako.

_ “What are you doing here?” _

Talking with Jamie so long had Mako accustomed to English, and it took him a moment to realize the guard was speaking Maori. The guard grunted in wait of an answer, prompting Mako to finally speak.

_ “Just passing through to the city. _ ”

_ “You bring nothing on you but that crude weapon. What is your business in the city?” _

“What the fuck are ya sayin’?” A whisper, even best attempted, still rung out in the cave. 

The guards instantly grew tense at the revelation of someone else apparently being with Mako. One of them drew his dagger out from its sheath, Mako rested his hand on the handle of his hook. It would be tough fighting in such a closed in area, but he would make it work.

_ “Expose yourself!”  _ The guard was talking to Jamie, but the blond had no actual way of understanding that.

“Whoa, someone sounds a little bit irritable.” Jamie peeked his head around Mako’s arm to better see what was happening. When he caught one look of the guards he bursted out into laughter. “What the fuck? Those are some mean lookin’ cunts there, eh Mako?”

Mako didn’t respond, he kept his attention solely trained on the guards. It was clear they weren’t expecting Jamie, a man who looked so different and spoke words they didn’t understand, and were unsure how to proceed. Though laughter was discernable across all languages, and as Jamie continued his cackle the guards began to understand that they were being insulted.

_ “What is person you bring with you?”  _ The guard with the dagger answered, gesturing to Jamie with his weapon.  _ “He is pale as sand and laughs like a seagull!” _

_ “He is no harm. An outsider wishing to see the city.” _

_ “Outsiders have been banned! Outer villages have been attacked by people with white faces that spoke strange words.” _

Villages? How many others besides Mako’s home have been mercilessly attacked? It made rage boil deep within Mako. They needed to grab the gold and get off the island as quickly as possible so he could slit all of their throats.

Mako stood up to his full height.  _ “Let us through.” _

_ “No!”  _

Moving past the guard up front the one with the dagger charged at Mako, his intent clear to try and get to Jamie. Mako grunted and swatted at the man, pushing him to the side and into the cave wall. The other guards gasped and Jamie outright screamed in alarm. Everything started to fall apart after that. Uncaring that it was their companion to tried to strike first, the three remaining guards tried their luck to take on Mako, now solely attacking for revenge. Like Mako had predicted, the tight space of the cave made it hard for him to move around and keep track of them all as they moved around him in hopes to find somewhere vulnerable to strike. Mako pulled his hook out and swung it around somewhat blindly, but it had the desired effect of the guards keeping their distance.

In the commotion it was easy to lose track of one of them. The first one, the aggressive one who charged first. He slipped away from the fight with Mako in search of easier prey.

Jamie watched Mako fend for himself, unsure what to do or how he could help. If he tried jumping in he’d probably end up more of a hinderance than a help. In the end it was the torch that gave away the guard’s approach, the bright flame catching Jamie’s eye just in time for him to realize what was coming.

Jamie jumped back to avoid the knife thrusted out in attempts to pierce his gut. The guard grinned cruelly, thinking the situation was completely in his control.

Maybe it was.

But that didn’t mean Jamie could just give up. He wasn’t going to roll over and let himself be disemboweled in some random cave. Not when he was so close. His mind worked frantically to simultaneously think up a plan and dodge the attacks at the same time. If it wasn’t for the flame following all the guard’s movements he probably would have been stabbed already.

The flame.

Inspiration struck Jamie and he turned and ran. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed a satisfactory vision of the guard chasing after him. But Jamie wasn’t trying to get away, he was trying to get distance. Distance from the guard and distance from Mako. Jamie reached into his pocket and felt the cloth from one of his bags of gunpowder. There weren’t many, so he needed to make this count. He grabbed it and yanked it out, spinning on the heel of his boot back around to face the oncoming guard. 

A strong throw into a lit flame. The world seemed to slow down. A cry of “Fuck off!” lost in the ear splitting roar of the explosion.

Mako and and guards around him all froze when it happened, the smoke rushing past them accompanied by the faint burn of an explosion from far away. Not caring about Mako anymore, the guards rushed towards the source. Mako followed them. 

The scene laid before them was one hard to comprehend at first. The most obvious was Jamie, slowly sitting up from where he had been sprawled on the cave floor. He was covered in dirt, no, ash, and he coughed up some as well. He patted down the top of his head, smothering some of the glowing embers that clung to the tips of his hair. But the most shocking thing was what was once a guard before their feet. It was a corpse now. What skin left that wasn’t a disturbing black color was open and raw, muscle and bone exposed on his head that had no right ever seeing the light of day. His body had fallen to the front, but his head was tilted to the side. He had no eyes, only empty sockets with a viscous fluid dripping out of them where eyes used to be. A charred hand clung to the burnt stump of his torch, the flesh burnt away to reveal nothing but charred bone frozen into an unnaturally twisted grip.

No one knew what to say.

Jamie rose slowly to his feet, still coughing. He used the wall to support himself. Somehow, in his disorientation, he managed to lift his head and glare at the remaining guards. In the glow of the torches, it looked like Jamie’s eyes were filled with fire itself.

“There’s more where that came from, ya bastards.” He growled. 

Jamie had expected the guards to run, to turn tail and book it back to wherever they came from in order to avoid the fate of their colleague. Instead they dropped the torches and fell to the ground, prostrating themselves before Jamie. They were saying something, and even if Jamie could understand them they were speaking so fast it all blurred together.

Bewildered, Jamie looked up at Mako with an incredulous expression on his face.

Mako gave the same look right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was fun to write! Finally, some action amiright? Maybe blowing stuff up isn't always the answer to everything, but dammit if Jaime isn't going to try and make it the answer.   
> Come talk to me at my blog moonshotsandstarsocks.tumblr.com! Or leave a comment! I love feedback :)


	13. Catchphrases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the goal of reaching the city is achieved. It's not easy getting there, and it's only going to get harder.

In the depths of a cave system hidden away from all but those who already know of it, there was little to see. Winding tunnels that were long ago created by men were formed into a dizzying and purposefully frustrating maze of stone walls. Nothing ever happened, rarely were these tunnels ever used any more. The floor was ragged and uncomfortable, worn down ever so slightly by the feet of nearby village traders and patrolling guards. Mostly there was silence. Maddening at times. In some areas of the cave one could hear the echoes of roaring water, but only those knowledgeable or lucky enough were privy to travel far enough into the unknown passageway to catch the faintest sounds of life. Civilization; a thriving one at that. But whoever sought out the legendary city had to know what they were looking for before they could ever find it. Otherwise with the worst of luck they would wind up dead, and with the best of it they would come to their senses and turn back the way they came before it was too late. 

Darkness clung to every stone and crevice. But further down, less than a quarter mile from this hidden city and its people, there was light. It was dim, produced only by two abandoned torches flickering feebly, trying to keep their flames alive while they laid against a damp and rocky floor. The smell of smoke hung in the air, but it was indiscernible from the putrid aroma of burnt flesh.

Four men were crowded together, the dull firelight barely enough for them all to survey the situation before them.

Jamison watched the guards at his feet mumble through whatever the hell they were saying. It was such a surreal shift from their behavior moments ago, almost to the point of being stupid, that he expected it to be some kind of act. Like they were going to laugh and jump up on their feet, ready to resume their attack once again. But they didn’t. They just continued to bow before Jamie, their weapons cast aside and their torches slowly beginning to fade as they continued to lay forgotten.

The one on the left cautiously peeked his head up, but when his eyes met with Jamie’s he threw his head down again. Jamie put his hands on his hips, nodding slowly and taking a deep breath as he took in the scene.

“Okay, this might jus’ be the weirdest fuckin’ thing I’ve ever seen.” Jamie declared, holding his hands up. He looked to Mako, who was frowning down at the guards. He looked deep in thought. “Ey, Mako, little help translatin’ here? I get that me blowin’ up their buddy was a stroke of pure genius but I expected them to be more... murder-y ‘bout it.”

Jamie addressing Mako seemed to have snapped the larger man out of his haze. He blinked and looked between Jamie and the sentries on the ground. Wordlessly he stepped around them and started his way back through the tunnels. 

“Whoa, wait, we came from that way!” Jamie called out to Mako. He took a step to follow after him, and the guards held their breath. Jamie growled in frustration. The guards were acting strange, Mako was his usual and infuriatingly silent self, and Jamie was giving himself a headache trying to wrap his mind around what was now happening. It was so much more clear when the guards just wanted to kill him. “Mako!” Jamie stomped his foot on the ground, the sound mingling with his voice that rang against the cave walls. 

That got Mako to stop. He cast a slow look over his shoulder back at Jamie. His expression was unreadable, but he definitely wasn’t happy. “We’re going.” His tone was firm. It didn’t leave any room for argument. Too bad the blond never paid any mind to social cues.

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well you’re  _ goin’  _ in the wrong direction.”

“We aren’t going to the city.”

“What?” Jamie exclaimed, so taken aback that he leaned away from Mako. “The fuck ya mean we ain’t goin’ to the city? We’re so close! Is it cause I killed that guy? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure ya were gonna kill the others, an’ his friends don’t seem to mind.” Jamie gestured to the two guards before him. They both flinched. 

Jamie scoffed, staring incredulously down at the two guards. “Seriously?” As a test Jamie threw his arms out at his sides, this time watching the guards as they instinctively tense up. Momentarily distracted, Jamie giggled and waved his arms again, watching the men cower at his feet. He tested different poses and actions, garnering the same result if not making the two men even more nervous. There was thrill to their cowering, a sense of pride and power Jamie had never experienced before.

He could definitely see himself getting used to it.

More than tired of witnessing Jamie’s antics Mako merely shook his head. “You don’t understand.” 

He started walking again, and Jamie knew he was expected to follow. But he didn’t want to turn back; he had been through hell and literal high water and it wasn’t just to stand in a cave maybe only a mile away from his actual destination. It wasn’t right! Jamie wanted to see the city for himself, to have all the riches of it spill through his fingers as he used a pile of it as a fucking bed. No, this definitely wasn’t how things were going to end for him. Jamie stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a small huff of determination. He wasn’t going to move, no sir.

Jamie watched Mako get further and further away, hoping that if he didn’t go after him that Mako would turn back around and join him. His partner’s large frame was hard to miss in the narrow cave, but he still grew smaller and then Mako slipped out of view, his heavy footsteps getting quieter until there was no sound at all.

In the silence, Jamie felt his heart sink.

Then came a long groan as he realized this was a game of chicken that he was not going to win. “Fuckin’... wait up!” He yelled, turning on his heel and starting after Mako.

Jamie’s mind was beginning to work over what to say to Mako, he needed the big guy to explain to him what was going on so they could start making another plan on getting into the city. There had to be more than one entrance after all, it was only practical. Hell, they could climb the damn mountain if that’s what it took. He probably had the energy for it. Hell, with that body Mako had enough energy for five people.

_ Maybe he could carry me if I got tired. Shit, did Mako take a right or a left... _

Being so lost in his thoughts Jamie hadn’t noticed the guards rise to their feet until they were reaching out and pulling him back. Jamie cried out in surprise and tried struggling out of their hold but it only made them tighten their grip. With every desperate pull to get away their hands only reestablished their hold to keep him from gaining any ground. 

The two men kept speaking to him as if they expected him to understand. Their tone was urgent, they spoke close to his ears and forced him backwards in coordinated pulls.

“What? Let go! Ya were scared shitless of me a second ago, let’s go back to that!” Panic was starting to seep into Jamie’s voice, a higher pitched waver that shook in his throat and he hated it. But even for someone as scatterbrained as himself it wasn’t hard to see the sudden reality of the situation. Jaime had turned their friend into a smoldering pile of burnt flesh and now they were trying to subdue him. Jamie was going to die, they were going to slice his stomach open and watch as his guts spill all over the cave floor. Jamie didn’t want to go out like this. Not when he was so close, when there was so much left to do.

Not when he was alone.

The guards started pulling Jamie backwards through the caves. Jamie tried to dig the heels of his boots into the ground, but the wet surface made it impossible to gain any kind of solid traction.

The guards maneuvered themselves around the corpse of the dead sentry and former associate. For a brief moment Jamison was able to hook his legs around the mangled body as leverage and weight, catching the guards up as they tried to separate Jamie from the corpse via painful tugging. Jamie took the opportunity to scream.

“M-Mako!”

His cry rebounded back to him as it traveled through the caves. Then, there was nothing. No voice calling back, no urgent footsteps growing closer.

The guards started throwing Jamie side to side in attempts to free him from his literal dead weight. Their thrashing ended up successful, the body too weak to withhold the rough treatment. An unsettling, dry snap and the body cracked in half at the charred and withered gut. What warm blood that was left spilled out over Jamie’s legs and feet as the corpse fell pathetically to the floor with more layers of burnt skin flaking off. Jamie’s stomach rolled.

This was becoming an increasingly clear fruitless effort. The men had a hold of him with no intent of letting him escape. Outnumbered and without any possible short range weapons, Jamie realized he was out of options. Wherever they were taking him to be slaughtered, he would go. 

As one final act of defiance Jamie let all of his muscles relax, going completely limp in the guards’ arms. No more fighting and kicking, he was just one heavy lump that they were going to struggle with all the way up until his death. Their frustrated grunts and muttered complaints, the basic sentiment conveyed universally by their harsh tone, gave the blond petty satisfaction.

It would be easier to simply vanish away from the situation, Jamie thought to himself, to remove himself as if none of it were really happening at all. Jamie stared down the cave, watching it slowly inch back as he was dragged. He let his eyes droop, go unfocused. The rocks melded into a grey and black blob. Jamie’s head lulled to the side. It was akin to the sensation of being underwater without the haunting feeling of drowning. No, not even like that. More like he was a passenger in his own body, something detached and buried deep underneath all the skin and bones that held him together, just watching everything around himself without ever truly being a part of it.

Maybe it could have been peaceful or comforting, but instead it was just numbness.

That’s why when 550 pounds of anger rounded the corner and started sprinting towards him Jamie couldn’t process it at first.

The guards caught on much quicker, evident by their terrified screams. One of them grabbed Jamie by his legs to lift him completely off the ground, both of the scouts now trying to outrun Mako while still holding on to Jamie. Their steps were awkward and doing very little to actually help them get away faster. In the end it was too late.

Mako reached out and grabbed the guard holding Jamie’s legs by his head. Thick fingers gripping the skull tight, the man was forcibly ripped away. Jamie’s legs fell back on the ground with a dull thud, but it was nothing compared to the sound of bone crunching and splintering against the cave wall. It had a dry quality to it like snapping a twig, but it was accompanied by unnatural gurgling and the wet sound of both brains and blood spilling through Mako’s fingers and onto the ground.

What hit the floor no longer looked like a person. It fell into a crumpled heap, still gushing blood from an area where there used to be a head. It was almost incomprehensible to look at, Jamie’s mind struggled to fill in the gaps of what he was truly seeing. 

Suddenly Jamie thought back to that moment on the beach, Mako cracking a coconut with one hand.

_ Oh. _

That was when Jamie was dropped. Valuing life over whatever plans that had awaited Jamie, the last of the three guards turned and sprinted the rest of the way through the cave screaming as he went.

The blond found himself laying on the ground, just as limp as the corpse less than five feet away. His mind was reeling, and his body wouldn’t respond to any kind of commands he gave it to try and sit himself up. He could only look up at Mako, watch his large gut rise and fall with his harsh breathing. Blood was still dripping from his thick fingertips. One glance down and their eyes met. Jamie couldn’t help but smile.

He came back.

Fortunately Mako had an answer to his mobility problem as well. He reached down, with his dry hand  _ thank God,  _ and grabbed him around the neck. All the fuzzy feelings quickly dissipated. 

“W-wait!” Jamie gasped, suddenly finding his voice. “It’s me, Mako! Please, please don’t-”

“You gave up.”

The words hung heavy in the air and Jamie didn’t know how to respond it. He opened and closed his mouth every time he came up with an answer only to consequently scrap it due to it lacking in some way or another. 

“What?” Was the final response, sticking to Jamie’s true emotions regarding the situation he was in.

“You gave up.” Mako punctuated each word with a small shake. Jamie’s head wobbled as he became uncomfortably aware of how much of a strong hold Mako had around his neck.

“I don’t think I unde-”

“I saw you!” Mako roared. “Coming back to get you I saw you hanging pathetically in their arms! You gave up!” Mako was drawn up to his full height, using it to his advantage to tower over Jamie as he unleashed his anger. Jamie never felt so small before.

“How the fuck are we ever going to do anything if you’re so willing to die? I dragged you out of the sea, I pulled you away from the scouts, and you don’t do  _ shit! _ ” Mako dropped Jamie, letting him fall back on his ass. Wide eyes look up at Mako in terror. It’s enough to give him pause.

The corners of Mako’s mouth twitched, like he wanted to say more. His chest lifted and fell with a deep breath. “I can’t always be there to drag your ass out of everything.” He growled. “You gotta help yourself so you can get back to me on your own. Got it?”

Jamie nodded so fast it nearly made him dizzy. “Yeah… yeah, okay.” He stood up slowly, using the wall to keep upright as he put his weight on shaking legs. Jamie didn’t even know why he was so shook up, everything was okay now. “I’m sorry, mate. When things get tough I’m used to… escapin’, I guess.”

Mako huffed. “Stop. You stay here with me now, no more going off to wherever you go.”

A small smile, another nod. Mako wanted him to stay, and Jamie would never admit to how much the implication of that made his heart flutter. “Got yourself another deal.”

Mako was looking beyond Jamie now, down through the cave systems where the guard had escaped. Jamie knew it wasn’t much longer until they reached the city, the prized destination of this whole journey. Jamie knew what Mako was thinking with that one look.

_ Do you still want to go? _

“Absolutely. With us together, we’re one fuckin’ unstoppable pair.” Jamie patted Mako’s arm, careful to avoid the thin lines of blood that actually made it up that far.

Mako only grunted and brushed past Jamie, only this time he was walking in the right direction. Jamie pumped his fist in the air, counting that moment as a victory even with how convoluted the circumstances had become for them to actually reach that point.

It was ten more minutes of walking and then thirty seconds of running when Jamie saw the beginnings of sunlight pouring through the mouth of the exit. Compared to the darkness of the mountain the sun was blinding; just pure white and head that warmed Jamie as soon as he stepped into it. Fresh air, the sounds of voices and commotion that reminded Jamie of back home without him even seeing it yet. 

Mako came up behind Jamie, placing a large hand on his shoulder as Jamie’s eyes finally adjusted to the light. The scene revealed itself to them both.

A small hitch of Jamie’s breath. “Hooley dooley.”

A snort and an incredulous look down at Jamie from Mako. “What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good GOD its practically been 3 months since I last updated! This wasn't at all what I planned for when I made my hiatus announcement. I'd like to formally apologize for those who have been waiting for so long, and I really don't expect that many people even stuck around haha.  
> I guess my best excuse is that I work 50-60 hours a week, but even in my downtime it was hard for me to come back to writing in general. I got into a slump, I looked through some old comments from previous works and got really down about my abilities to even write at all. But finally getting myself to write more of this fic helped me remember that I love to write. I love the feeling of writing page after page, coming up with alternate ways to take the stories, and maybe most of all the excitement of possibly getting new comments on my works!  
> I don't expect many of you to read this, but if there's one take away I guess it's me saying I'm not giving up. I want to do this, and I'd love to hear from all of you about your thoughts on my work. I can't tell you how much it makes a difference.  
> Thank you


	14. Identity Theft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumping to conclusions is a dangerous thing, even if you don't know it yet

Jamie’s feet had stopped upon a paved road, smooth stone embedded into the ground making an even path that spread out before the two men. The first thing that caught his attention was the market. A few hundred feet away, it was busting with life. Jumbled conversations and bartering were taking place in front of stands packed to the brim with colorful cloths, ripe fruits and vegetables, and somewhere in the distance must have been meat because the faint smell of fish hung in the air.

But the lively hustle and bustle of the marketplace did nothing to prepare Jamie for the true wonder this place held. A loud gasp escaped from him and Jamie’s knees felt weak. If it were not for the large hand now pressed to his back, he would have certainly collapsed.

The light from the afternoon sun illuminated the mountains that encased the city from all sides until only the peaks were visible against the skyline. Glittering in the sunlight uninhibited by a clear blue sky, was gold. Stacks, no, bricks of it layered on top of each other to form structures so brilliant that they had more of a right to be called palaces than buildings. Gold bricks made up their basic structure, but even from a distance it was clear to see that there were also carvings of gold that decorated the roofs and entrances. Hanging above the doorway of the closest home was a large head of a sneering man, eyes depicted by embedding two large emeralds into the precious metal and its tongue sticking out.

Jamie didn’t even know where to begin. Each new sight was more tantalizing than the next, and as soon as Jamie took one step in one direction something else had him backtracking another way. It left him pacing back and forth, whimpering softly as he tried to work through his indecision.

“There’s… there’s so much.” Jamison whined. He swallowed hard, the sight of the riches before him actually causing him to salivate. He could die happy.

“Wait,” Jamie turned his head back to Mako, who was taking in the same scene before them with a look of disdain. Jamie’s voice brought Mako’s attention down to him.

“Ya know this place, right?” Jamie didn’t wait for an answer as he continued. “Then ya gotta take me to the biggest thing here! I don’t care if it’s a whole fuckin’ buildin’, we’ll take it apart brick by goddamn golden brick if we have to!”

Mako didn’t say anything, he only continued to stare. Not an ideal answer, too cryptic for Jamie’s liking. Not to mention Mako’s dark eyes were far too piercing for the big lug’s own good. In the silence between them Jamie’s mind worked to figure out what had Mako so unpersuaded.

“Oh, right. I gotcha.” Jamie laughed and shook his head at his own stupidity. “Stealth. These’s lot probably won’t be so keen if we waltz in and start takin’ apart their churches an’ whatnot. Good thinkin’ there, always important. So how ‘bout this, we wait ‘til cover of night  _ then  _ we tear the city down. If ya know where I can get my paws on a few choice objects I can obliterate this whole place with the snap of my fingers. Well, not so much  _ my fingers  _ as much as a lit match next to a couple pounds of the good stuff. And I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout booze.” Jamie gave Mako an overly dramatic wink before bursting out in a fit of giggles over his own joke.

Mako regarded Jamie. In their time together they had gotten used to their differences, both personal and physical. And in Mako’s time aboard that wooden hell of a boat he had unfortunately become accustomed to the pale skin and strange clothes of his captors.

But now, back home on his island, Jamie was the odd man out. Golden hair, impossibly skinny frame, and a fair complexion made him almost completely impossible to ignore. He was a walking oddity and that didn’t even include when he opened his mouth. 

Mako’s body slumped as he let out a long sigh. This wasn’t going to be easy.

\-----

“Maybe we should run through the plan one more time?”

Jamie wilted under Mako’s threatening snarl.

“Don’t give me that! It jus’ seems a bit convoluted to me is all! An’ if I’m bein’ honest, anythin’ that’s got me huddled up in a basket ain’t that great of a plan!” Jamie snapped, pointing at the offending container.

The basket was something Mako stole from the closest fishing stand while the merchant was in the middle of a heated session of bartering. He had forced Jamie to hide away back in the cave under the threat of snapping his neck, and while Jamie had acted more like a scolded child than afraid for his life, it still did the trick. Now they were both back in the caves, Mako having presented the basket and Jamie putting two and two together to figure out what they were going to be using it for. It was large and woven from fronds of a palm tree, complete with a lit and much sturdier than it actually appeared. Mako had not so distant memories of carrying his own haul of fish to his village from the beach with baskets similar to this. With Jamie curled up against himself he could fit inside with only minor discomfort.

Sometimes, the simplest plan was the best one.

“Look,” Jamie circled the basket slowly, nudging it with his foot. “I’m jus’ gonna say I ain’t got the best record of tryin’ to hide away, alright? What if we’re just strollin’ through town an’ the bottom gives out? I’ll tell ya what happens, I land straight on my ass an’ then everyone’s in an uproar. No mate, what I got is a much better idea!”

Jamie kicked the basket into the cave wall, earning him a glare that he didn’t acknowledge. “I’m thinkin’ I put on some kinda inconspicuous disguise, then we can hunker down somewhere a little less damp an’ a lot more golden until nightfall. Then I  _ blow everythin’ up _ !” Jamie turned on his heel to face Mako, putting his hands on his hips in a proud and victorious stance, his chest puffed out to complete the look.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it?” Jamie repeated, pitching his voice down two octaves to try and match Mako’s. “What do ya mean that’s it? It’s a good plan!”

A stern look from Mako was met with Jamie’s own heated glare. The silence was almost palpable as the two men held their ground, each of them firm in their belief that the other was being a complete moron. It dragged on until it became a matter of pride not to break away first; they had held on that long so there was no way they were going to quit any time soon.

“Fuck you!” Jamie finally snapped, his abrupt outburst jarring in the echo of the cave. It caused Mako to jump, but Jamie didn’t even get the satisfaction of knowing that he scared the bloke because Mako stepped forward and slapped a large hand over Jamie’s mouth (although the hand covered almost 50% of Jamie’s face, he figured that was what Mako had been going for).

Jaw going slack, Jamie pushed his tongue out of his mouth and rubbed it all along Mako’s hand. It tasted like a mixture of dirt and sweat, culminating in a horrible salty-tangy…-dirty sensation in his mouth. Jamie had worse, but it didn’t mean he enjoyed it.

Thankfully it wasn’t something he had to suffer long because Mako quickly pulled his hand away in disgust the instant he felt Jamie’s tongue roam over his hand.

For once, Mako wanted to speak but was simply at a loss for words. Was he losing his mind? Everything he had done since their arrangement on the ship had been to protect Jamison (and admittedly himself, but it seemed that those two things went hand-in-hand as of late) yet all he got in return was frustration and an ungrateful attitude from the boy. Anger boiled in him, burning into his chest and pounding against his heart so loud that Mako could hear each  _ thud  _ right in his ears. Rage bubbled upwards into his throat, and after stuttering his way through at least three different sentences Mako finally found his voice which manifested itself in a deep shout.

“ _Are you a fucking_ _child_?”

Jamie shrunk in on himself as Mako loomed over him. With his back to the cave the light pouring in from the outside casted shadows across Mako’s face, catching the angles from his clenched jaw and furrowed brow to paint a portrait akin to a monstrous visage.

“No.” The one word was so quiet in comparison to Mako’s outburst. Jamie cleared his throat to try and stop his voice from sounding so small. “I ain’t no kid. An’ I’m tired of ya treatin’ me like I’m some dumb bloke who ain’t got nothin’ goin’ for him! I’m the one that got us off that boat remember?”

Mako scoffed. “Not smart enough not to drown after.”

He regretted the words as soon as he said them, but it didn’t matter. Mako could only watch the slack-jawed, wide-eyed expression dawn on Jamie’s face as those words struck him to the core. It probably wasn’t the worst thing said to him but Mako could guess that it was one of the more personal ones. Jamison didn’t seem to be the kind of person to open up to people often.

“Listen,” Mako sighed, but it was too late. 

Reaching out, Mako tried in vain to grab Jamie as he sprinted out of the cave. His skinny arm slipped right through his fingers. Turning around Mako had just enough time to watch Jamie disappear into the chaos of the market. His starved frame made up for his height and he quickly slipped through the crowds too involved in their bargaining to notice one more body pass them by.

That wouldn’t last forever.

_ He’s going to die. _

_ Why should I care? _

The two thoughts happened in such a close succession that Mako wasn’t sure which one he actually thought of first.

In the silence of the cave Mako could only reflect on his explosion at Jamie. He shouldn’t have lost his temper like that, and while Jamie wasn’t actually a child he was still young. Blinded by a mixture of stupidity and a sense of invincibility that only came with youth. He’d eventually learn, but not by Mako tearing up all his ideas and shouting at him whenever he acted up.

Not that Mako felt his anger wasn’t justified.

The feeling of regret occurred more often than not in Mako’s life, though he doubted that he was the only one who lived that way. Regret was simply another fact of life.

Was he really ready to add another one?

A long sigh slipped out between Mako’s lips as he rubbed a hand over his face. His muscles ached, his tired eyes burned, and the beginnings of serious hunger dug away in his stomach. Yet it was nothing compared to the weight of guilt in his chest, practically suffocating Mako where he stood. 

He needed to find Jamie.

\-----

Deep within the city lay a temple perched atop a flat area of the mountainside. It was alone in its position, able to look out over the city and all of its vast prosperity both in wealth and in livelihood. Rumors had it that the vision of it was brought to a priest in his dreams; a triumphant piece of architecture to stand above all else in the city to remind its people of the gods every time they looked upwards towards the sky. It was built long ago, hundreds of citizens hauling the necessary materials up the mountain for years while the most skilled artisans crafted everything from the foundation to the ornate jade and seashell carvings that were embedded into the wood pillars. From their constant work a path had been worn into the mountain, twisting across the plants and rocks for the most stable footing. 

Following that trail led one right up into one of two doors the temple possessed. The first of course being the entrance into the temple. The second door led to a path hidden in the mountains, only a sacred few could enter that way without desecrating the land itself. 

Adorning the opening into the temple was an intricate carving, figures of fish swimming through carved wood in the shape of waves. Inside lay a dark room lit by candles which gave the space a warm yet eerie glow. In the villages they kept their shrines and temples opened, but El Dorado wasn’t like the villages. The simple villages on the island could keep their simple traditions, they could never aspire to be as close to the gods as the city was. If the gods didn’t hold the city in their highest favor, how else could it have such vitality?

Closing his eyes, a lone man stood in the temple, taking in the energy at the altar before him. It stood at least five feet off the ground, carved from lava rock that had been cultivated long ago during Ruaumoko’s last exhibit of his power and charity. From the ashes of his destruction new land was born, and from it nature flourished. The altar radiated the same unfathomable energy, an ebb and flow that could sustain a man who was pure and wise enough to sense it.

And he was such a man. He could feel the connection to the altar, to the gods, like it was a hand reaching out to touch him. Their power filled his body, their words whispered in his ears and with the utmost concentration he was able to make them out. Dark clouds had been in the east for three days now, slowly circling the island but never quite making it to the shores. He intended to understand what it could mean.

The people were gathered in the citadel, all awaiting to hear from him what the gods had to say. And if he wanted to say within the good graces of the chief, he needed to deliver.

“High Priest Iraia!”

Like a breeze, the voices had vanished as quickly as they appeared. The priest’s body ran cold again as the distraction pulled him away from his meditation. Glaring over his shoulder, he identified who would dare to disturb him at such an important time.

A patrol guard, now prostrated on the floor about ten feet away from him. For one to leave their post meant nothing good.

With a sigh Iraia stood, turning around to face the obviously upset man. “Rise, my child. We are all safe inside these walls.”

Lifting his head, the guard revealed a gaunt face riddled with fear. Even from a distance, the priest could see sweat drip from his brow. If that and his panting were anything to go by, it seemed that he had sprinted to the temple all the way from his station.

“We hadn’t known, they simply appeared to be outsiders! And it is our duty to take ca-”

A raise of Iraia’s hand was all it took for the guard to fall silent once again and collect himself. “I cannot understand what you say if I don’t first understand the problem.”

“Your holiness, I believe we have been visited by the gods!”

A variety of emotions went through Iraia at once. Confusion, fear, surprise, and even anger. Surely if any deity had chosen to take a mortal form he would have known! Surely this guard must have been insane.

“Explain yourself.” Iraia growled.

\-----

When Jamie was pushing through the marketplace he didn’t have a direction in mind, and he really didn’t care. He couldn’t see where he was going anyway, the mass of people obstructing his view too much to gain any clear sense of direction.

And if his eyes were a little misty then it was just from the sunlight beating down on him.

Just who the fuck did Mako think he was to talk to him like that? Sure, they didn’t get along well at first but that was all the way back on the ship when they were trapped in that room together. Tensions had been high but it only took some time before they came to a consensus that it was better to work together rather than against each other. And then all that stuff that happened during the jail break and their time on the island, the campfire…

_ You’re being stupid again, Jamie. Always so stupid. Just like a child. _

Jamie knocked the heel of his palm against his head several times, trying to clear the negative thoughts from his mind. “Shut up, fucker.” He muttered under his breath.

It seemed that the market tapered off into an open space where the road diverted off to the left and right as well as continuing forward. Once Jamie slipped through the last cluster of distracted people he was finally able to get his bearings.The shimmering buildings of gold lay ahead of Jamie until they blended in with the mountains on the horizon. Just how far did this city go? 

It didn’t matter, because he was here for the treasure dammit and there was no reason to get lost exploring when literally tons of gold in every direction. He could pick any way he wanted and it wouldn’t matter because either way he’d end up so filthy-stickin’-rich he could use diamonds to wipe his ass if he wanted to.

No like he would, though. They probably hurt.

Seeing no reason not to continue forward, Jamie kept his course straight ahead to go deeper into the main part of the city. 

Everyone must have been inside or at that hellishly busy market, because no matter where he looked there wasn’t anyone else around. Evidence of life was scattered about the city; the path he walked had indistinct footprints from other treading on it, the outside of buildings would sometimes have plants or pottery that Jamie didn’t recognize but still  _ obviously  _ someone had put there, and of course there was the market which was filled to the brim in such a way that even then Jamie could still hear the sounds of their activity.

So where was everyone?

If Jamison had been smarter or had cared enough, he might have seen the isolation as poetic to his own situation. But instead, he just thought it was creepy.

Being so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn’t even notice two people approach him from the side until he was being grabbed by the forearm, an occurrence that was happening far too much for one day. In no mood to go through yet another annoyance, Jamie drew up to his full height and turned to deal with whoever was trying to get in his way.

Annoyance flared into anger when he saw that it was another guard (The same guard? The caves were so dark it was impossible to remember) trying to keep him in place.

“Fuck off!” Jamie snapped, twisting his arm to get out of the other man’s hold. It worked, the guard fumbling to try and get some kind of subduing grip on Jamie once again. Before he could, Jamie planted one foot back and raised the other for as powerful of a gut-kick he could manage. 

His rage didn’t subside even as the guard fell back against the ground, a layer of dust from the upset dirt clouding around his pained body. No, it wasn’t good enough. Jamie wanted to stomp his head in until the heel of his boot was lodged in the man’s skull. He couldn’t crack a skull with one hand like Mako could, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get the job done. 

Maybe if he brought the skull to Mako, then he wouldn’t see him as such a hopeless kid anymore.

The guard was saying something and in that moment Jamison neglected to focus on the other man who had been with the guard originally. He knew better, he knew how to handle himself. It was all the emotions making him so unfocused.

Perhaps in the first stroke of luck since Jamie had entered the city, the other man didn’t seem to be interested in hurting Jamie. So when Jamie’s face was grabbed and he was expecting a punch, all he got was the intense stare of being face to face with a second man.

He was shorter than Jamie, more muscular too. He held Jamie’s head in between his hands so tight Jamie could feel the calluses of his hands scrape unpleasantly against his face. In order to make Jamie face level with him he had pulled him down and forced the blond into a hunched position that was uncomfortable even for him. For a moment neither of them moved, neither of them breathed. Tension made the air thick as they regarded one another in silence.

The man had tattoos all over his face, Jamie realized. They his his copper skin under a worn level of black markings so intricate it made Jamie slightly cross-eyed to try and examine them so up close. There was something about him that made Jamie think he was different from the guard. More important, maybe.

It was the other who finally relaxed. He had grinned, revealing a row of rotten teeth with dazzling stones,  _ rubies  _ Jamie realized, embedded in the center of a few of them. Yet even with the man looking happy, there was a glint in his eye that made the hair on the back of Jamie’s neck stand up on end. He had seen that kind of look before, a power hungry gleam that Jamie loved to admire in his own reflection while hating it on anyone else.

“Auahituroa.” His breath smelled like old meat.

Unable to think of any other response to a word spoken at him, Jamison gave his best grin and answered, “Yes?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I'm not dead! And neither is this fic! I could rattle off the millions of excuses I have for putting this update off for so long, but I don't feel like boring you guys with all that. Just know that if I ever intend to stop updating I'll make an announcement about it beforehand.  
> The one thing I will say that made me hesitant to update was that since we're now in the city, world building gets a little tricky with mixing fantasy and reality. It ended up being a weird mashup of Maori and El Dorado themes? And as a white person I really don't want to offend anyone, so I've been researching to try and make things vaguely accurate but if I ever overstep I REALLY want people to tell me so I can fix it.  
> Anyway here's another chapter for a burn so slow it might as well be a lit match in the other room. Please let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me around 2 in the morning and I had to write it! It's actually keeping me from working on all the angsty headcanons I got. I don't own El Dorado or any of its charcters.  
> Haha doing something a little more light hearted is weird, please let me know what you think! I thrive off feedback ;v;


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